


Crimson Past

by derplolplayer



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Alternative Perspective, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Childhood Trauma, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, F/M, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Now With Tasty Citrus, Strangers to Lovers, Surprise Pairing, minor fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-09-20 13:23:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 43,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17023389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/derplolplayer/pseuds/derplolplayer
Summary: Miss Fortune has been troubled as of late, having night terrors of her past even after having revenge. A certain ninja senses this, but Sarah would rather drink away the problems than talk about them, but even the strongest have their breaking points. Miss Fortune x Shen.





	1. Chapter 1

A sigh of displeasure came from a woman sitting at the bar before she took another sip from her mojito. She had a hunched posture and ran her hand through her dishevelled red hair. She was dressed in different clothing as opposed to her usual attire. A white blouse with black leather pants. The belt was visible at the midsection.

Miss Fortune, The Bounty Hunter.

This was a fearsome woman whose name was well known in Bilgewater. Ironically, she looked quite the opposite right now. Sarah was troubled. For the past few weeks, she'd been having these… dreams. Night terrors to be precise.

Miss Fortune was a strong woman and certainly no damsel in distress. The only thing that could make her feel this way were memories.

Memories of that night where everything changed.

Memories of her crawling from the burning remains of her home with the remnants of her mother's pistols.

Part of Sarah's mind remained trapped forever in that workshop. Waking nightmares and night terrors would forever torment her, but Sarah endured them with an all-consuming obsession with vengeance.

Eventually… she got it. And yet, she still didn't feel any different. So she did what she did best. Drinking until the demons stopped calling her name.

The woman downed her sixth drink of the evening. Sarah uttered a sound of annoyance when the ice-cubes hit her teeth. She had to get another one.

"Bartender. Hit me again." She said with a swirly hand gesture, showing that the alcohol had certainly taken it's affect.

"Hmm. Maybe I'll just leave you with the bottle instead." The bartender said with a hint of judgement.

Sarah ignored it. Out of all the people, what made the bartender think they were in any place to judge her? She paid them to give her liquor and when someone pays you for something as simple as that, you don't judge, you just do the damn thing.

At least that's what she believed anyway in her inebriated state.

 _"Sometimes I sleep, sometimes it's not for days. The people I meet, always go their separate ways. Sometimes you tell the day, by the bottle that you drink. And times when you're all alone, all you do is think."_ Sarah sang with a slur as she poured herself her own drink.

The Bounty Hunter observed all around the bar. In one corner, she could see Elise conversing with Zyra who had her head back laughing that resulted in a little spill from her drink while Elise delicately sipped from her wine glass. In another corner was Evelynn with Kayn. The two of them were in front of a glass picture and if one looked close enough, they could see the silhouettes of Evelynn's true form with Kayn's reflection being replaced with Rhaast's. A thud was heard and Miss Fortune saw Talon face flat on the table with his drink spilled. Katarina was laughing at him while pointing before also passing out. Riven came by in her bunny suit, clearly unamused with the present situation before gathering up the empty beer bottles.

It made her feel lonely. Sarah wasn't a shy person, she could easily socialize and often enjoyed it. Tonight she just didn't feel like doing anything. She'd stay on that barstool all night if she could. Miss Fortune chugged her mojito.

_"Once I built a railroad, I made it run. Made it race against time. Once I built a railroad, now it's done. Brother, can you spare a dime?"_

As Sarah prepared another drink, she could hear some approaching footsteps. She assumed this was another prick who was trying to get lucky and she stared ahead with annoyed eyes. The Bounty Hunter took a deep breath.

"You're not going to get any of this honey so piss off." She said.

"I'm not interested in what most people are, Bounty Hunter." A voice said.

It was one she recognised. A monotone voice from a champion every marksman was glad to have on their team. A majority of the time anyway.

Shen, The Eye of Twilight.

Miss Fortune grunted with amusement and finished making her drink. The woman slowly turned around, bringing her drink to her lips as she met his gaze.

"What do you want Shen?" She asked with hostility evident, though her expression was that of a sleepy woman. The woman didn't let him answer. "Wait, don't tell me! The Eye of Twilight stands for balance! He can sense a person's unbalanced mind and doesn't rest until it is restored! Even if it means stalking them to their favorite bar!" She said with a deep voice of mockery.

Shen rose a brow before taking a sip from his water. He gestured with the glass over to a table. Miss Fortune could see Akali, Irelia, and Karma sitting in a booth with Irelia laughing so hard that she had to rest on the shadow ninja for support. Sarah grumbled at this and turned away from Shen. She heard him walk around and take a seat next to her. Miss Fortune rolled her eyes at his refusal to leave her alone.

"Do you want to fuck me?" She asked loudly, not caring if anyone heard.

Shen only rolled his eyes. "No."

"Then leave me alone!" She snapped. "I don't need affection from an emotionless, boring person like you!"

The ninja sighed and Miss Fortune finished what she assumed was her ninth drink of the evening. She needed more. As the woman reached for the liquor, Shen grabbed her arm and she immediately glared daggers at him.

"Perhaps you've had enough for the time being." He said calmly.

Miss Fortune yanked away her arm from his grip. Shen obviously didn't put much effort into keeping her.

"You're one nosy bastard Shen. You and your fucking clan of ninjas just have to be involved in anything that seems to be unbalanced or disturbed. Can't leave those who clearly don't want your help alone huh?" She said.

"Do you enjoy being alone with your troubled thoughts and feelings? It is the worst because you have nowhere to run from them. They just stay in your mind and you can only handle them so much before resorting to unhealthy and bad tactics to drive them away." Shen said.

Miss Fortune knew that drinking heavily when she's troubled wasn't a healthy coping mechanism, and it was worse when being alone. But she didn't know what else to do.

Could she break down and cry? No.

Could she talk to someone about her problems? No.

Sarah refused to put herself in such a vulnerable and weak state. Of course, being seen like this at a bar wasn't such a strong image either, but it did beat crying in the corner.

"Shut up." She said reaching for the bottle.

The woman saw Shen try to stop her again. This time, she grabbed one of her signature guns and aimed it at him. The only visible part of Shen that wasn't covered by the mask was his mouth. It stayed close.

"Clearly the intoxication makes it worse. Only adds more to your anger and arrogance." He said.

Miss Fortune kept that firm glare. The gun began to shake before she lowered it and set it aside. The woman noticed a few of the bars patrons looking at her which made her feel embarrassed. Sarah decided it was time to leave.

"Thanks for the drinks bartender." She said throwing them a fifty-dollar bill. "I'm taking this."

Sarah took the less than half-full alcoholic bottle, putting her guns in their holsters. Shen didn't say anything as she walked to the exit, a little clumsily given her drunk mood.

The Bounty Hunter walked out to the lot of the Bar & Grill, chugging what remained of the liquor before the bottle was empty. She slightly skipped over to the recycling bin, changing her grip on the bottle to the top. Sarah reeled it back.

"Fore!"

She threw the bottle at the bin, but it was short and it shattered on the object with glass going everywhere.

"Ah shit! You suck Sarah!" She said to herself.

Miss Fortune strutted away from the bin. She put her hands into her pockets and returned to a hunched posture as she paced. The woman walked past a few drunks who made some derogatory statements towards her. Miss Fortune didn't respond. Instead, she shot their bottles with one of her guns and continued onward as they exclaimed in terror.

Then she came across a bottle of red wine on the ground. Sarah looked at it with disinterest. She didn't like wine, but figured that she'd take what alcohol she could get. In her tipsy state, the woman accidentally spilled some of it before turning it right side up.

"Goddammit."

Sarah leaned her head back lightly, taking a swig from the bottle. After doing this, she looked at the spillage she made and noticed how brightly red it was.

Suddenly, her mouth went agape with her eyes widening.

…

* * *

 

_"Sarah, come over here!"_

_"What is it_ dad _?"_

_"Your mother's just finishing up her two pistols! Come and see!"_

_A young girl with red hair ran into the room where the voice came from. She looked up at the man who squatted down to pick her up. He carried her over to a woman who was polishing two pistols. When this was done, she revealed them to her audience with a smile._

_The pistols she had crafted were masterpieces, twin hand cannons of pinpoint lethality and exquisite beauty._

_"_ Wow _mom! They're beautiful!" Sarah exclaimed in a juvenile manner given her age._

_The adults exchanged smiles at their daughters' words._

…

* * *

 

Miss Fortune closed her eyes for a long time, trying to rid herself of the flashback. During this time, her grip loosened on the bottle and it shattered on the ground. The impact sounded like a gunshot to her.

_"No Gangplank! Please! We can talk about this!" The woman said pleadingly._

_"Shut the hell up! You would dare deny me what is rightfully mine?! You don't deserve to craft such weapons if you don't have the stomach to use them to their full potential!"_

Sarah heard a gunshot in her mind. She blinked at the sound.

_"ALYSON!" The man shouted._

_"Mommy!" The girl screamed._

_"A messy death is your first warning!"_

_"Run Sarah! RUN!"_

Another gunshot was heard. Then another. Then another. Two objects hit the ground with a shatter with heavy footsteps heard leaving the room afterward.

Sarah felt disoriented. She fell to her knees, crawling lightly forwards. She blinked again… and realized that her arms were different. She was in a white bloody shirt, drenched to the bone from rain in the remains of her mothers' workshop after it was set ablaze. In front, she saw the corpses of her mother and father. She broke down in tears as she cradled their bodies, trying to maintain the false hope that they were only sleeping and would wake up soon.

A thunderclap sounded and it snapped Sarah out of her nightmare. She realized her current position, being supported by her hands and knees on the cold ground. She stood up to a straight posture, but it didn't last long when she slumped her head down.

She cradled her face in her hands, sniffling as a tear escaped her eye. Only one.

"Bounty Hunter?"

Sarah gasped and stopped what she was doing. Her sad expression changed to neutral, though it was hopeless trying to hide that fact that she'd been crying, even for a second. She glared at Shen.

"Just can't leave well enough alone can you?" She said crossing her arms.

"Bounty Hunter, if you would jus-"

"Call me Miss Fortune Shen!" She snapped. "Or don't bother talking to me at all!"

He sighed at her command, but figured he should grant it. She was greatly disturbed right now.

"Miss Fortune… I know how it feels." He said.

The redhead crossed her arms. "How what feels?" She said with clear anger.

Shen's shoulders slumped. "To lose… your parents. The best people in your life."

Her temper flared as she clenched her teeth. Sarah drew one of her pistols and marched towards Shen, pushing him with all her strength against the wall and bringing the pistol to his chin.

"You better watch what you're talking about Shen. You know nothing of me!"

"I know you are troubled by your past." Shen said passively. "I've been down that road as well Miss Fortune."

"Oh so because you think that your parents, or father actually, was killed it automatically means you've been down my road too?!" She snapped. "I think you're just doing this to get lucky!"

Shen was annoyed by her arrogance. "Sarah, the human mind has a primitive ego defense mechanism that negates all realities that produce too much stress for the brain to handle. It's called Denial." He said. "You're doing a good job at showing that against the idea of needing help with it."

"Maybe if you weren't so arrogant, I'd be happy to listen to your words. I don't want to feel like I'm being lectured in fucking grade primary!" Sarah exclaimed.

"At the risk of sounding like the accusation, the only arrogant one here is you. You're holding a pistol to my neck because you'd rather feign shooting me instead of addressing the problem itself."

Miss Fortune said nothing after that for a minute. She just stared him down, hatred and anger evident in her eyes. Despite the urge to shoot, Sarah knew he was right. Finally, she brought the pistol down (again) and put it into the holster. The redhead put some space between herself and the ninja. She looked around, making sure nobody was lurking.

"Oh you're a piece of work Shen. A persistent and nosy motherfucker." Sarah muttered.

"Is that really necessary?" He replied.

Sarah scoffed. "Perhaps you could've picked a better time to address this. I was enjoying myself in there."

The ninja only grumbled to show he disagreed. Sarah placed a hand on her hip before moving her head to get some red strains of hair out of her eyes.

"So… I suppose you have a way to help me with this?" She asked. "After all, I'm sure someone like you wouldn't be doing this unless the only way for it to work is to get in my pants."

This time Shen tilted his head with a glare. Sarah chuckled at this.

"If you want to have these night terrors for the rest of your life then so be it." He said annoyed.

Miss Fortune narrowed her eyes before hearing his monk-like chant. She then widened them when seeing that he was channeling, his hands together with a purple circle at his feet.

"Wait! I was just kidding!" She said running towards him.

He disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving the redhead alone in the dead of night. She kicked against the wall in frustration, but then realized a tied letter was on the ground where he previously was. Sarah reached down to pick up the paper and untied it. A device was attached.

_"If you wish, come to my dojo when you are ready to take this seriously. Use the attached object to arrive. Do not be inebriated."_

Sarah sputtered at this with a smirk. However, she had been a pain in the ass towards Shen tonight as well. She didn't like the idea of spending time with a man she saw only on the rift, but if this meant that her night terrors would end, or at least lessen in terms of intensity, she'd take it.

She put the note into her pocket and walked off into the night.


	2. Chapter 2

Moonlight was shining into the bedroom of Miss Fortune's residence. She was on her queen sized bed, sleeping on her side with half of her red hair sprawled out. The woman clutched the pillow tighter as her teeth gritted and she whimpered.

…

* * *

 

Sarah took uneven breaths as she looked at her surroundings. It was dark and gloomy with the only source of light being shined down upon her, almost like she was in a cavern. The Bounty Hunter suddenly heard a whisper close by.

_**"Get… out."** _

She shuddered.

_**"Leave this place. Get out of here…"** _

The voice seemed to be coming from all directions and began to overlap.

_**"You shouldn't be here. Leave. Leave."** _

Miss Fortune heard enough. The woman began to sprint in whatever direction she chose, trying to escape the haunting voice.

She ran for what seemed like hours until the overlapping voice abruptly stopped. Sarah looked around, tears in her eyes now. Why was this happening to her?

 _"Help us_ Sarah _! Don't let us die!..."_ A raspy feminine voice called out.

Sarah whimpered and braced herself for what she could only imagine she'd see. The woman saw both her parents standing on front of her.

"Mom? Dad?"

 _"You should've stood up for us Sarah! You could have prevented this!"_ Her dad said, voice also raspy.

"I… I…"

Suddenly they both burst into flames with agonizing screams, their bodies dissolving into nothing but ash. Sarah clutched her head as she fell to her knees, sobbing loudly through the dying cries of her parents.

…

* * *

 

Miss Fortune woke with her body hurling itself up to a sitting position with her panting and gasping all the while. She looked around, seeing that she wasn't in the dark, gloomy cavern. She was just in her bedroom on her red satin bed. The woman calmed herself with steadier breaths, falling back fully onto the bed for warmth and comfort. Running her hands down her flustered face, Sarah felt something in her pocket.

Prior to falling asleep, the woman helped herself to one last drink of the evening and didn't choose to put on her pajamas. She pulled out the note Shen had left her along with the device. Still being under the effects of her heavy drinking, Miss Fortune's mind wasn't the most functional or rational right now. She was scared from the nightmare and needed someone to comfort her. But who would be up this late at night? Who would accept the drunk and desperate Bounty Hunter Miss Fortune?

A lot of people probably would, but Sarah needed someone who wouldn't take advantage of her. Someone she knew she could trust. Someone who saved his ultimate only for his ADCs in the late game. Even if she didn't know him in a more personal matter.

Shen.

He still offered his help after her bitchy attitude. He was her best bet. Sarah gulped and closed her eyes. The woman pressed the device.

…

* * *

 

The redhead appeared in front of Shen's dojo unsurprisingly, a bit disoriented from the travel. Guess this is how it felt for Shen when he first started using his ultimate. She glanced up at the structure, feeling a hint of shame and defeat. She knew she needed help and Shen's words stuck with her. Just made her annoyed how much she overcame as a child and now couldn't do the same as an adult.

She showed no concern for stealth when sliding open the door and practically slamming it. The redhead walked quickly through the building, trying to locate Shen. She had no intention of getting the help tonight, but she needed comfort. After turning another corner, she was met with the ninja himself. Shen was in his blue legwear, the rest of him revealed for Sarah's eyes to see.

He had no hair on his toned body and there were a few veins popping along his arms, but none along his torso and chest. It was the right amount without appearing like he was on steroids. Shen glared at her. Sarah returned it appropriately.

"I told you not to come when inebriated. Not to mention it's unusual that you're here at this time of night." Shen said.

Miss Fortune put her hand on her tilted hip with a raised brow. "Unless that little unbalanced mind radar of yours is turned off, you'd know that my mind is significantly more troubled compared to a few hours ago."

"Apologies… Miss Fortune." Shen said remembering that she preferred to be called that. "Tends to become an afterthought when someone intrudes my home, especially during the night. Not to mention you made no attempt to be silent."

"I'm a fucking bounty hunter, not a ninja like you and your cultists!" Sarah snapped.

She couldn't believe the words she was saying. Shen offered his help with no intention of getting lucky with her, at least that's what Miss Fortune thought anyway (she was correct on that), yet she was too stuck-up to give him a mature response. In this case, she was too drunk. Alcohol had that effect on people. Shen grunted with annoyance. The redhead took a deep breath, feeling she'd gone too far.

"I'm sorry… that was unkind of me." She sighed.

Shen leaned against the wall. "Why are you here?"

Sarah looked up to meet his yellow eyes. The alcohol spoke for her.

"I had a nightmare. It scared me... and I didn't want to be alone." Sarah said with a shrug.

Shen only hummed as a response. Miss Fortune was surprised he didn't laugh at her for being too afraid to sleep alone as a grown woman. He got off the wall.

"What was it about?"

Sarah swallowed to loosen up her now swelled throat. "My parents telling me they were ashamed that I didn't save them. They burst into flames."

Shen blinked in surprise. Not quite what he expected. Not even the nightmares of his father's demise were that severe.

"I'm… sorry to hear that." He said monotonously.

"Thanks for the comforting words." Sarah said sarcastically.

Ignoring her still sassy attitude, Shen spoke. "So you're here at my dojo to sleep? In separate rooms? It'll give you comfort knowing that I'm nearby?"

Miss Fortune laughed quietly. "Not really what I had in mind."

The ninja crossed his arms with a raised brow afterward. "In the same room on different beds then."

The redhead gave the same reaction. She began to pace towards Shen who unfolded his arms. His head leaned back when her chest made contact with his.

"I want to sleep with you." She said.

His eyes widened in half a second. Shen's mouth opened to protest before Sarah put her index finger on them.

"Not that kind of sleep silly!" She said with a hint of playfulness. "Just… let me sleep with you. I want to be close to another person who won't try to take advantage of me. I don't want to feel like I'm alone."

He groaned with his eyes slanting, showing the unamused response. "Aren't you afraid of me getting, how did you say it… into your pants? You know the thing you accused me of numerous times earlier?"

Sarah looked away, again remembering how rude she'd been to a man who showed only kindness. At least it was kindness to her, necessity to him probably.

"Those words were… unworthy. Forgive me. Please." Sarah said with shame.

The ninja didn't respond for a full two minutes. Sarah paced back a bit to give him some space. She didn't move from her spot, occasionally glancing around the dojo to forget about the awkward silence.

"Alright. If it will assist in making your mind less unbalanced, then you can join me in my chamber." He said.

Miss Fortune blinked in disbelief and couldn't prevent a weak smile coming on. She pushed aside some strands of her red hair to show Shen her wide eyes. For a moment, her dark, troubled thoughts left her mind as she took in the fact that she'd be comforted by a man who had no intention of taking advantage of her.

Then she cleared her throat, returning to her neutral look. "Th-Thank you Shen."

He nodded in response. Shen gestured to follow and Sarah showed no hesitation in doing so. The two of them reached his chamber, Sarah taking in the comfortable look of his room. She didn't notice him get on the bed, covering himself with the sheets for warmth.

Miss Fortune carefully went to the other end of the bed. She felt uncomfortable in her full clothing and chose to take off her pants. She had on red panties and then unbuttoned her blouse, choosing to leave it on. Her chest was concealed by a lacy red bra and she got comfortable on the mattress.

Despite the feeling of someone close to her, Sarah still felt alone. She peeked over her shoulder at the ninja.

"Shen?"

He didn't respond for a few seconds. His posture slightly changed. "Yes?"

Sarah took a few breaths, preparing her next words by mouthing to herself.

"Spoon me."

The response from him was as she expected.

"What?"

And yet it still annoyed her.

 **"Does a woman like me have to explain why she wants to be comforted further?!"** Sarah exclaimed. Shen offered no response resulting in Miss Fortune's regretful sigh. "Just please. Comfort me. I need it." She said with a calm tone, almost whimpering.

She waited for a response of some sort. Sarah frowned as the silence continued.

Then some rustling heard and Sarah felt Shen's body make contact with hers. He spooned into her with his arms hesitantly coming over to provide additional shelter. Miss Fortune's frown was gone moments after, replaced with a smile of pleasure.

"Thank you, Shen."

"You're welcome... Miss Fortune." Shen replied. "Tomorrow, I will see what I can do."

"I just have a question. Why are you doing this?"

Silence again.

"The balance must be preserved. You need rest now. I think that's a good step towards maintaining the balance."

Sarah giggled softly. His voice was soothing and so calming. She closed her eyes with that smile growing wider.

Unbeknown to her, the real reason he was helping was entirely different. Shen would tell her in good time.

If she was committed to this anyway.


	3. Chapter 3

Delightful laughter could be heard amidst the downpour of rain near an isolated workshop near Bilgewater. Outside of the building, a young girl with orange hair was in a trench coat, happily splashing about in the puddles. She looked up at the grey sky, catching drops of rain in her mouth and twirling gleefully.

"Sarah! Come inside! It's getting late!" A woman's voice called out.

The young girl turned to the workshop, seeing two silhouettes, one a man and the other a woman. She smiled and started to run towards them, occasionally splashing in some puddles and panting heavily.

Suddenly, she stopped. The child's smile was replaced with a look of fear. Upon looking closer at the figures, she saw that they were stained with blood. A third figure appeared behind them. He had on a red scarf face-mask and was armed with two pistols.

Two quick shots were heard and the girl flinched. Upon opening her eyes, she was drenched in blood, her orange hair now stained crimson red. She screamed in terror before the masked man turned his weapon to her.

Everything went black.

…

* * *

 

Miss Fortune gasped as her eyes opened, shaking slightly from the nightmare. She ran her hand down her cheek, just to make sure it wasn't stained with blood. The woman twirled a lock of her hair, seeing that it was red, but wasn't bloody compared to what she saw.

The Bounty Hunter sat up on the bed, her legs hanging over the mattress as she put her hands on her lap. Suddenly she felt pain in her forehead and tended to it with her right hand. She did drink a lot last night.

Shen.

Her eyes darted to the other half of the bed, seeing that he wasn't there. Sarah began recalling the memory. She came here sometime after midnight, troubled, anguished… and lonely. Shen spooning her made her feel comfortable and she felt a bit irritated that he wasn't with her right now.

Miss Fortune proceeded to put her pants on and find Shen. The redhead traversed rather quickly through the dojo, soft taps sounding on the matted floors from her bare feet. Sarah began to run instead, passing by a few sliding doors before catching the silhouette of a man after the fifth one. She skidded to a stop and nearly fell, but the woman managed to balance herself and went to the door.

"Good morning, Miss Fortune." A monotone voice came from inside the room, no doubt Shen.

The Bounty Hunter slowly pushed open the door, seeing Shen sitting cross-legged on the floor, meditating with his eyes closed. To her surprise, he only had on half of his mask which exposed his brown hair.

"Good morning… Shen." Sarah said with a hint of annoyance.

"Did you rest well?"

Miss Fortune sat down in front of him, though her posture wasn't the same as Shens, choosing to bring her knees close to her chest and rest her chin on them. "After you spooned me? Oh yes."

One of Shen's eyes opened, meeting Sarah's azure pupils. She noticed a slight twitch which made her smile a little. The woman changed her posture to a sultrier one.

"You asked me to do it. You said it would comfort you." He said with his monotone voice.

"Aww, don't be so chaste Shen. It's alright to admit that you loved every moment of it." Sarah said with pouty lips.

His other eye opened. Despite half of his face being covered, Shen's expression was clearly unamused. Sarah threw her head back laughing at this.

"You know… I think I may have felt a little bump on my lovely ass. Did you feel excited Shen?" Miss Fortune asked teasingly. "Guess Miss Fortune is too strong for even you."

The ninja's meditation ended abruptly. Shen stood defiantly over Sarah who widened her eyes at his sudden action. His fists were clenching and his breathing was heavier.

Ten seconds of silence happened between the two, Sarah still on the floor as Shen didn't move from his intimidating positon. Miss Fortune gulped, slightly looking away from him.

"I'm sorry… again. It's just… I… I'm hungover… and I shouldn't be teasing you… for comforting me in my… time of need." She said slowly.

"Don't mock me." Shen said impassively. His emotionless voice made Sarah feel afraid.

"I'm apologizing okay?" She said rolling her eyes. "I'm sorry that I've constantly teased you for wanting to get with me. Most men would dream of getting their hands on me. I want help Shen."

"You need to be committed to something to want help, and I'm not sure if you're up for such a task." He said impassively. This actually hurt Miss Fortune's feelings.

"I'm committed to this!" Sarah said with desperation in her voice. "Old habits die hard! I've never been in such a state of mind for years that I've forgotten how to do it! Shen. Please… help me."

The ninja steadied his breathing, coming back down to the floor where he crossed his legs again. Sarah chose to do the same to show at least some respect. She noticed his eyes briefly look down at her still unbuttoned blouse. Miss Fortune had a feeling he wasn't doing it because it showed her cleavage, but to inform her of it. The redhead let out a scoff with a timid smile as she looked away, buttoning up the shirt.

When Sarah looked at Shen, she took notice of the raised brow. This made her laugh softly.

"There it is. That look everyone gave me when I first joined the League." Sarah said. "Slut. Whore. Skank. Floozy. Tramp. I've heard it all."

Shen said nothing as Sarah stopped her words. The Bounty Hunter had a feeling that he was still annoyed.

"You know my guns Shock and Awe right?"

He nodded.

Sarah chuckled. "Yeah… made by my own mother. They're true masterpieces of craftsmanship. Unique beauty." She sighed.

Miss Fortune slowly slid down the right side of her blouse. Shen followed it slowly with his yellow eyes. He saw a red circle on her shoulder.

A bullet wound.

"You know about Bildgewaters twisted history right Shen?" She asked. "Pretty much nobody rises to power without getting blood on their hands. Mine are no exception."

He leaned a little forward. Sarah took a deep breath, sounding a bit broken in the process.

"I was the daughter of the infamous gun forging goddess Alyson Fortune. She was an amazing woman, crafting the most beautiful and deadly weapons you could ever see. I took an interest in it, giving what help I could as I held the piece of metal for her to pound. Her work was publicly said to be made for the wealthy noble, but the reality is they were for those with darker hearts and sinister agendas. I didn't mind that." Sarah said taking a deep breath. She coughed a little and cleared her throat.

"Would you like some water?" Shen asked.

Miss Fortune looked at him with a hint of surprise. Perhaps he was interested in her story, or maybe it's because he could smell the alcohol on her breath from the night before. Sarah nodded without saying anything else. As Shen stood up to get the water, Sarah's gaze followed him until he exited the room, her head turning to look straight as she waited.

The Bounty Hunter was feeling a little bit of something she hadn't felt in weeks. Slight relief. Perhaps telling someone of her past, someone who was interested and actually listened, made her feel a bit better. Shen returned with two cups of water. He handed one to Sarah and she immediately gulped it down, sighing with pleasure as she felt it make the interior of her body feel alive again after all that drinking. The ninja blinked at this and offered his to her. Sarah gave him a sly smile and slowly took it.

"Thanks." She said.

Shen sat down cross-legged again. Sarah set aside the cup.

"Please, continue." He said.

"But one day, she attracted the wrong type of customer. The growing reaver in Bilgewater… Gangplank." Sarah said with a tone of anger at the end. "He was a cocky bastard; certain nobody could stand against his power. He demanded my mother to fashion a pair of pistols that no other man had possessed before. She was uneasy around him, my father standing next to show his protection of her. A reluctant deal was made." She continued.

Miss Fortune put her delicate fingers over the bullet wound, tracing it with Shen's eyes following. She spoke without looking at him.

"When Gangplank finally returned, he had no intention of paying for them. He would take them by force. My mother refused to give him the weapons, and that was it. He shot her in cold blood, then my father, and finally… me. Right. Here." Sarah pointing at the wound.

Shen actually rose a brow this time. Sarah's words were getting to him. He never imagined that a woman like Miss Fortune, a woman who most saw as eye candy and a mere pin-up girl, would have such a dark history as this. He knew her parents had been killed, but not by someone in the League.

"I woke up hours later, finding my mother's workshop to be nothing but a pile of rubble and ash. I crawled with the destroyed pistols in my hands. The pistols she worked on for a whole Goddamn year. Then… I pulled the bullet from my shoulder with my father's plyer." Sarah said as she finally stopped tracing the wound.

Shen noticed her face was a bit red. She wiped her right eye gently to brush a tear aside. Miss Fortune straightened her posture.

"He took everything from me… and filled me with… rage. "A messy death is your first warning!". The very words he said after killing my mother. I would ensure that he'd have a far messier death."

Miss Fortune felt a hand gently take hers. She expected to meet the glowing hues of Shen, but she didn't. Instead, his eyes were blue. The connection between the spiritual world and the real world had briefly left him. Her mouth went agape.

"You don't have to continue on Miss Fortune." Shen said.

"No. Please, let me talk. I'd imagine this is another part of maintaining the balance?" She replied with a weak smirk and giggle.

He let go of her.

"I rebuilt my mother's pistols, choosing to learn everything I could about that piece of scum Gangplank, preparing myself for the day I'd finally slay him and take everything from him the way he did with me. I joined crews in my late teens, ransacking ships with carelessness. I shot my way out of a ship single handily with Shock and Awe, becoming wounded in the process but carrying on. I went deeper into Bilgewater, taking on bounties of criminals everywhere, using the pistols my mother forged all the while. I settled them all in a week, gaining a reputation amongst taverns and gamblers. Gangplank was arrogant, believing me to be just another low-life bounty hunter out to get him. He was too big to take on alone though, so I spent years surrounding myself with a small, but loyal circle of allies… and lovers I'd eventually use to lay my demons to rest. My sassy attitude, and other assets, were what got me the lovers." Sarah chuckled. "Then… it happened. Right in front of Bilgewater… for the entire population to see. The burning wreckage of his ship, the deaths of his entire crew… the image of him being untouchable and invincible… shattered."

Shen looked away momentarily, trying to think of what to say next.

"If that happened then why didn't you set yourself up as the new ruler of the port city?"

Sarah scoffed at this, blowing the hair out of her eyes again. "You think just because I defeated Gangplank that I'd be appointed the new ruler of that shit-hole? There are no rules in Bilgewater Shen. It's kill… or be killed."

Shen stayed silent. His brows were up moderately higher than before, like he was at a loss for words. Sarah coyly looked at him, her hands on her crossed legs and a strand of her crimson hair covering one eye again.

"Others may paint me as a bimbo or a double-crossing bitch just because of what I wear and what I did. I say they couldn't handle what I dealt with. There's a reason I did those notorious acts. I did it to survive." Sarah said firmly. "I did it for my parents and their legacy. If you consider ashes of their workshop a legacy." She said bitterly.

Silence again. The only sound disrupting it was the singing of birds outside.

Sarah saw Shen cross his arms and cast down his head. She figured he was breaking down the story she just told him.

Finally, he spoke up.

"Miss Fortune, are you feeling… a little different now?"

The Bounty Hunter tilted her head slightly. "What do you mean exactly?"

Shen closed his eyes, the connection with the spiritual world returning to him. Upon opening them, Sarah saw they were yellow again.

"Right now… I am sensing a little bit… of more balance in your mind." He said opening his yellow hues. "Perhaps explaining your life story to someone who listens instead of one who doesn't show any interest is something you've been wanting? Longing for even?"

Sarah looked away briefly, breaking down the words Shen just said. Her mouth went agape again as she realized it.

Last night she was very hostile towards Shen, berating him, calling him a nosy bastard and that she didn't need help with her problems. She considered sitting down and talking about them to be a moment of weakness. And yet here she was, having confessed to him her gruesome, bloody past. Another thing came to her mind. She was physically vulnerable the night before, coming to his dojo and asking if she could bunk with him. It made her feel relief. Now she was emotionally vulnerable, and it also made her feel relief.

Miss Fortune felt like an outsider ever since these night terrors had resurfaced, but now she felt less like one. The redhead smiled at the ninja sincerely.

"You know something Shen? I think you might be onto something there." She said.

The Eye of Twilight gave a nod as a response. Miss Fortune wasn't familiar with the traditions of Ionia so she only gave what respect she could and nodded back. Shen sat up with a groan before stretching. Sarah followed his actions.

"So… what do we do next?" She asked coyly.

Shen rose a brow. He didn't expect her to ask that. Seemed very unusual from a woman like her.

"Have you ever done meditation, Miss Fortune?" He asked.

The redhead gave a carless shrug. "Never really gave it a shot."

"Well, meditation is a very efficient way to reduce stress, pain, angst..."

"…unbalance?" Sarah cut in with a smirk.

The ninja stayed silent making Sarah's expression change to a neutral one. She then heard him utter a small laugh.

_"Did he just laugh at a joke I made in his presence!?"_ She thought. _"I didn't know Shen could do that!"_

"Humour is also a good sign of a balanced mind." He said with a rather more pleasant tone.

She smiled sincerely and watched him head to the door, sliding it open. Shen beckoned her to come and Miss Fortune followed.

"Meditation is most efficient and pleasant outside in the fresh air Miss Fortune." Shen said. "There is a nearby spring as an alternative as well."

"Oh, that sound like it could be really good." Sarah said. For once she didn't take a suggestive scene and change it into an innuendo.

"Oh, and Shen."

He stopped his pace, turning to Sarah who was slightly blushing now.

"Please, call me Sarah."

He blinked a few times. Under his mask, if one looked close enough, they could see a little smile form.

"As you wish… Sarah."


	4. Chapter 4

"So how do we do this the ninja way Shen?" Sarah asked with a coy smile. "Is it really a good way to help reduce a person's stress?"

Shen chuckled. He motioned to her to sit down on the mat next to him. Birds were singing in the distance as the sun shined brightly. Shen was sitting cross legged on the mat he placed on the fresh cut grass. Sarah smiled as she sat down next to him.

"Now, learning how to keep the mind peaceful and tranquil by protecting it against destructive emotional states such as anger, fear, or anxiety is the key to maintaining a balanced mind Sarah, or as you put it, happy." Shen explained.

The redhead nodded.

"As you practice however, be patient. Like most things, learning to calm your mind takes practice and effort. Keep with it, and you'll discover a tool that you can use to protect yourself when you experience troubling thoughts. Are you ready to begin?" He asked.

Miss Fortune took a deep breath. She nodded again.

"Let us begin then. First, do a seating position that you're most comfortable with." Shen said.

Sarah did as she was told. However, she felt his hands between her midriff to her surprise and felt him shift her into a straight sitting position.

"It's good to have a straight posture when doing this." He mentioned. Sarah smiled at him. "Now close your eyes, and set your hands on your knees. If you feel comfortable enough, please let me know."

Miss Fortune uttered a sound of affirmation. Shen sat beside her, quickly getting into position. Sarah deemed her current spot comfortable enough and closed her eyes.

"I'm comfortable Shen. I'm ready." She said.

"As you wish Sarah." He voice said. "Redirect your mind to your breath and begin counting your exhales. Count up to a total of 21 times. Then try it again. Don't let your mind wander."

Sarah rose a brow with her eyes still closed. She figured that she'd give it a try.

"One… Two… Three… Four…" She thought.

Finally, Sarah reached the end of her count, not feeling any different. One eye peeked open to see Shen in full meditation. She slightly pouted.

"Shen… I don't feel any different."

"I said to try it again." He replied without looking.

"How many times do I have to repeat it?"

"As long as it takes."

Her brows furrowed, but she said nothing else. Miss Fortune wanted to rid herself of these troubled thoughts.

The redhead repeated these tedious steps for nearly two hours. Miss Fortune was an impatient woman on occasion and didn't enjoy standing still for long periods of time (in this case sitting), but after doing it for 80 minutes, she started to feel something.

The Bounty Hunter felt relaxed. Her silky red hair lightly blew with the breeze and her breaths were steady. One would think she'd gotten tired and was about to fall asleep, but she wasn't. She felt peaceful. All Sarah could see was pitch black.

Until a swirling shape began to form in the abyss of her vision.

It was red and blue, chasing the other one in the swirling vortex as it got closer. Shen said that her mind shouldn't be allowed to wander and that she should focus on her breaths, but Sarah was a curious woman. She allowed her mind to take over.

…

* * *

 

_"Have anything yet Sarah?" A man asked._

_The young girl turned to her father, hesitating to answer before finally speaking. "No daddy, nothing yet." She said sadly._

_"Why the long face?" He asked._

_The young girl frowned and started to whimper. "Because we promised mommy that we'd both catch something today. And I've caught nothing all day!" She exclaimed before crying._

_"Oh no, don't cry sweetie. It's alright, you'll catch something before the day is out. I know it!" The man replied._

_"Then how come you've caught tons of fish and I've caught none?"._

_Sarah's father could only grimace at the sight of his weeping daughter. Children were always anxious that if they weren't keeping up with their parents or peers, they'd be losing. It was hard to blame them though. They were growing and still learning that they didn't always have to fulfill a promise to their parents for affection. Her father then smiled and came over to the crying girl._

_"Come on, don't cry Sarah_ _. I'll help you."_

_The girl pouted resulting in a sigh from her father. He sat behind her, helping her adjust her fishing rod. He then rose a brow and lifted the pole out of the water to see that it had no bait on the hook. He didn't laugh as it probably would've made Sarah more upset and embarrassed._

_"There's your problem Sarah. Your bait chose to go for a swim!" He exclaimed._

_The little girl looked up to see what he meant. Suddenly she burst out laughing, though she whimpered on occasion from her crying. Her father put some fresh bait on it and lowered it into the water. Sarah held onto the pole, but in reality, her father was in control of it._

_After a minute, the rod began to bend down slightly and both of them felt something start to pull. Sarah's eyes lit up with excitement and her father smiled._

_"Daddy! I-I've got one!" She exclaimed._

_Sarah started to laugh with joy. She was as giddy as a child opening a birthday present._

_"Go on, pull it in!" Her father said._

_The girl put her hand on the handle. She tried to turn it, but the fish she'd caught was a bit strong for her small arms. Since she was caught up in too much excitement, she didn't see her father's hands cover her own as he helped reel the fish in._

_The two of them pulled out a smallmouth bass and Sarah fell back laughing with joy as it wriggled to get off the hook, splashing her and her father with droplets._

_"I did it! I caught my very first fish!" She shrieked._

_Her father laughed heartily._

_…_

_"Again! Again!" Sarah squealed._

_"Oh, Sarah, mommy and daddy are very tired!" Her mother exclaimed with fake exhaustion._

_"Besides, aren't you a little too old for this?" Her father added with a joking tone._

_"I'm only seven!"_

_Sarah's parents rolled their eyes with sincere smiles. They nodded at one another._

_"Alright Sarah, one more time. Get ready!" Her mother said. "One! Two! Three!"_

_The little girl laughed as her parents swung her in the air between them, each holding one of her arms as her orange hair blew steadily. Her parents took her to the end of the docks, looking out at the water shining from the sun. Sarah smiled as she leaned as far as she could to see the glistening water._

_"One day I hope I'll be able to sail these waters." She said._

_"You will one day… Fortune." A gruff voice said from behind._

_This made the little girl turn around. Her mouth went agape at the sight. Her parents were no longer there, instead just a figure with a red mask. Immediately Sarah felt scared._

_"Where are my parents?!" She said as tears began to form._

_The man laughed coldly. He kicked something at her and it hit her feet. Thunder sounded in the sky as a downpour quickly began. Sarah kneeled down and upon closer inspection, found that it was the severed head of her mother. The little girl's mouth gaped as she screamed in horror._

_Lightening startled the girl and Sarah stopped kneeling. She looked up, finding that she was no longer on the docks of Bilgewater._

_She was instead on a boat in a never-ending downpour of rain. She was grown up now, known by the name Miss Fortune. Her red hair damped down her white shirt as she felt the rain drench her. Two men hand her arms pinned behind her back and before Miss Fortune could react, she received a violent blow across her face. Her head was jerked aside as some blood spurted out. The redhead quickly returned her head to its normal posture, glaring fiercely at the man in front of her._

_He had a long beard that was tied at the bottom, a large red coat with black leather gloves, and a captains' hat._

_"Gangplank…" She hissed._

_The pirate laughed at her words. He used his sword to cut the orange he was holding, taking a bite of it soon after._

_"You've come all this way just to remind me of who I am?"_

_"You're as good as dead when I get my guns!" Miss Fortune spat._

_"Behind those guns is just a scared little girl… Sarah." Gangplank said with emphasis on the last word._

_The Bounty Hunter almost broke free from her captors before they regained control. She didn't want anyone, at least not scum like Gangplank, calling her by her real name._

_"Sarah…"_

_Miss Fortune growled._

"Sarah…?"

This time she blinked in minor confusion.

"Sarah." A monotone voice said.

…

* * *

 

Sarah's eyes opened up with her gasping, taking deep breaths from experiencing the vision. She put her right hand up to block out the sun as her eyes adjusted back to the environment.

"Sarah."

The redhead turned her head slightly to the left, seeing the yellow eyes of Shen staring at her. She blinked a few times.

"Yes?"

"You're holding my arm."

Miss Fortune looked down to see that she was in fact, gripping Shen's arm as tight as she could. Her nails were slightly digging into the flesh and left red marks when she removed it. The woman's face turned a bit red. "Sorry."

Shen grumbled in response. Sarah tilted her head in confusion. Was he mad at her?

"Your actions awoke me from me meditation." He said. "I could sense unbalance in your mind."

Miss Fortune looked away, trying to remain innocent.

"Did you allow your mind to wander Sarah?"

She bit her bottom lip, looking down with shame. "Yes."

The ninja sighed. "It is good to observe your thoughts, but not to engage them Sarah. It was foolish to do that."

The woman was still traumatised from the visions. Shen's words weren't helping and made her feel worse. "I'm sorry, I didn't know that I'd be hallucinating my fucking childhood!" She spat back.

Shen wanted to counter her, but stopped when seeing Sarah curl up in a sitting fetal position, her long red hair settling down all over the place and covering her further.

"I just… I just don't want to be treated like I'm a bimbo okay?!" She said muffled with a voice crack. "I'm trying my best!"

Shen didn't speak as she began to weep, though very softly. He observed her. The Eye of Twilight tilted his head at the woman before him.

Then… his eyes got a bit wider. This reminded him of something. Something from the past.

…

* * *

 

_"Shen… my son." The master said._

_"_ _Yes Master?"_

_A wisp sounded in the air and the crack of a whip echoed through the dojo with the result of a pained cry from the young ninja meditating. A red streak was on Shen's exposed back. He glared at the man's sudden actions with heavy panting._

_"Why are you not more balanced?!" Master Kusho demanded._

_Shen took a deep breath, holding back his anger. "I'm… I'm sorry_ _master. I've been having a bit of trouble focusing."_

_The man crouched down and leaned uncomfortably close to Shen. "What is causing the unbalance?" He asked with evident anger._

_Shen gulped, his throat swelling up. "It's Z-Zed."_

_Five whip cracks sounded consecutively with Shen's pained cry. Master Kusho glared daggers at him._

_"Zed is gone Shen_ _. He's been banished from this temple. He is dead. That ninja you saw leaving a few days ago was nothing but a shadow."_

_Shen glared back at his master. "Zed is NOT dead. He's my broth-!" He was cut off from another whip, but Shen still spoke. "He was your so-ah! YOUR SON!"_

_"He. Was. No. Son. Of. Mine." Master Kusho said with each whip. "And he is not your brother. He was an orphan, and he turned to forbidden arts that haven't been seen in over 200 years. I should have seen it coming when he attempted to murder Khada Jhin."_

_He wanted to protest more, but that last sentence made Shen's stomach churn. Was Zed still himself? Or had he truly been killed and replaced with the body of a killer? Shen_ _couldn't believe the same ninja he grew up with had chosen that path, but his eyes didn't forget the shadows that moved to defend the young ninja when Master Kusho ordered them to attack._

_"You must free yourself of emotion my son. You must if you wish to become The Eye of Twilight." Master Kusho said._

_A tear slipped from Shen's eye as he heard those words. He frowned and his brows furrowed._

_"Of course… master. I will do_ _my best to succeed."_

_"You will not try your best. You will do your best. Otherwise, I'll have to find another." Master Kusho said before leaving the dojo._

_Shen's fists clenched at his father's words. But he didn't take any action or object anymore. He was trained to show no emotion… and to obey his superiors. The young ninja's lips compressed as he closed his eyes, resuming the meditation._

…

* * *

 

Shen looked at Miss Fortune who dried her tears. He furrowed his hidden brows and put an arm around her. This made the redhead gasp and tense up, but she soon embraced it. She put her hands around his midriff and buried her face in his side. Shen wasn't sure how else to comfort the woman.

"I'm sorry… Sarah." He said. "I shouldn't have snapped at you. Called you a fool for doing so."

Miss Fortune whimpered a sound of what sounded like half an agreement and disagreement. She wiped away one last tear with another sniffle. She looked at Shen who didn't falter doing the same. The two of them were silent momentarily before Sarah felt something on her back. She knew Shen put one hand around her, but now she felt it on her back.

He was giving her a minor backrub with his hand. Miss Fortune looked back briefly, mouth slightly agape. The Eye of Twilight was comforting her.

She'd asked him to spoon her the night before which he did only to preserve the balance, not because he wanted to. Now, he was comforting her again, and while it may have been to further maintain the balance, Sarah knew it wasn't solely because of that.

"What're you doing?"

Shen sighed and ceased the backrub. He leaned back with his arms holding up his posture.

"When I was a boy… my mind would occasionally wander and I'd allow it to take over. My father he… wasn't fond of that." Shen said. "Every time it would happen, he'd whip me. I got no comfort for doing something wrong, only punishment."

Sarah's expression became worried. She put her hand on Shen's. He didn't object to that.

"I understand why he did it and I don't blame him. I was training to become The Eye of Twilight. I had to be free of emotion, prejudice, and ego." Shen continued. "I didn't falter with the prejudice and ego, but… the emotion was more challenging."

He took a deep breath. Sarah watched as Shen slowly took off the mouth plate of his mask. The ninja's eyes flickered, struggling to remain free of emotion. It ultimately failed and Shen's yellow hues turned to their original color. Sarah figured she should look away.

"Zed was like a brother to me as a child." Shen said. "When Khada Jhin was finally captured by us and my father, Zed demanded that he'd be executed. That he should pay for his crimes. My father disagreed."

The ninja gulped. Sarah didn't make eye contact, but she was grimacing.

"Zed was furious with his choice. He claimed that the balance was not in equilibrium, that the order was weak… under the leadership of someone like my father." Shen continued. "So he ventured into the deeper parts of our clan's temple. There… he unlocked a forbidden art. One that hadn't been used in over 200 years. The Shadow Technique." He droned on. Sarah found that his voice was becoming a bit strained. "My father discovered this and ordered his fellow warriors to seize Zed, but the shadows protected him. After that… my father banished him without hesitation."

Sarah looked back at Shen finally.

"Zed… the man I grew up with. My brother…" Shen said. "He was only doing what he believed in; at least that's what I thought at the time. I can see why he did what he did, even if I don't accept it now. My father would whip me every time I faltered in my meditation, thinking about Zed and his banishment, wondering if it was really justified. He always told me that I had to ignore being sad and angry, that doing even one of those for a moment would disturb the balance."

Sarah realised what he was getting at.

"I chose to go against what he stood for when one falters in meditation. I know you're not meditating to achieve what I was training for, but he didn't look too kindly upon students who faltered in regular meditation either. I chose to comfort you instead."

Miss Fortune could see something that few people had ever seen. Shen was showing his... emotions. The Eye of Twilight seemed to be rather sad, maybe a bit angry. This made Sarah raise one brow. Why was he telling her this? Why was he showing this side to her? A woman he only interacted with on the rift?

Those questions would have to be answered later. Miss Fortune leaned closer to Shen, their faces only a few inches apart. Shen swallowed his courage and put the mask back on, his eyes turning yellow again as he maintained equilibrium.

"Shen… it's okay to be upset. To show your emotions. To show that you're still… human." She whispered.

This sounded ironic coming from her and Sarah looked away at the realisation.

The ninja looked away too. "I have to remain free of that. Otherwise, my father's training will have been in vain."

"But… look what happened when you did show emotions." She said trying to break down what she saw. "Your… balance powers I guess? You struggled to contain them and now you seem to be having no problem doing it now."

The ninja only chuckled with amusement. He stared ahead. "It's ironic how you're saying it's okay to show emotions… yet you were the one who refused to do so in the first place."

Miss Fortune cursed under her breath at his realisation. She playfully hit his shoulder and stared ahead like he did. Moments of silence happened again before she broke it.

"You know something Shen, I'd have never imagined that you'd be such an interesting person to be around." She said slightly smiling.

"I'm as human as much as you are Sarah. I just… prefer not to show it." Shen replied.

She hummed with approval, staring blankly ahead before she remembered something.

"Shen?"

"Yes?"

"Didn't you say there was a nearby spring as an alternative for meditation?" She asked smiling.

Shen rose a brow, picking up what she was really asking and hoping for.

"Do you want to bathe in it Sarah? You don't really care for the meditating right?"

She coyly smiled and nodded. Shen chuckled with amusement. He put his hands on his knees and stood up with a groan.

"The spring is just over there." He said pointing to a paved pathway. "There are towels nearby so you should be okay."

Miss Fortune nodded, but then frowned when she realised he was heading back to the dojo.

"Wait Shen! Wait!" She said taking his arm.

He looked at her with those yellow hues, a slight head tilted. "Hmm?"

Sarah hesitated in asking, but she finally got the courage to ask. "Can you join me?"

Her face must've been as red as her hair after asking that. Shen noticed this, but could also sense the unbalance as she eagerly waited for his answer.

"I can… if you wish."

The woman almost squealed delightfully. She didn't have feelings for him, but Sarah felt a connection with this man. A man deemed to be nothing but an emotionless being. Shen showing his emotions, though only briefly, made her see him in a new light.

"Come." Shen said gesturing.

Sarah gladly followed Shen to the springs, almost skipping merrily. She contained her excitement.

However, the woman couldn't take her eyes off certain parts of him as they walked. More so, the exposed muscles under the blue robes of his uniform. His biceps were huge and almost perfect. Miss Fortune had seen them the night before, but that was before she saw Shen in this light.

"Alright Sarah, enough with that." She thought to herself. "Don't treat him like eye candy now! He's more than that! He's... he's..."

The woman's thoughts were cut short when Shen grabbed her arm to prevent her from walking into the spring. He rose a brow and Miss Fortune giggled with a blush.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for some fluff this chapter. But don't get too used to it, the angst will return 😕
> 
> Neil Diamonds "Sweet Caroline" inspired this.

Sarah smiled as she observed the hot spring. It was the right size, looking like it could fit a handful of people in. Delicate vapours of steam were briefly seen before disappearing into the air. The Bounty Hunter heard Shen come out of a little nearby hut, holding a few towels. Miss Fortune gave him a sly smile. Her eyes abruptly became shocked when he took off his top, revealing his chiselled body to her. With the woman's mind seemingly less disturbed, Sarah could take in the features and assets of Shen more clearly.

" _No, no, no! Bad girl!"_ She thought to herself.  _"He's not eye candy! Show him some respect!"_

She saw Shen starting to undue the belt holding up his legwear and Sarah had to speak up.

"Shen, must you do that in front of me?!" She exclaimed, blushing furiously.

The rummaging stopped. Sarah peeked out to see the ninja staring at her. His posture had frozen and the redhead couldn't spare a little giggle at the sight despite what she could see. His hands were on the side of the legwear, paused after hearing Miss Fortune's words.

"Apologies Sarah. I didn't realise that it would be an issue for you." He said impassively.

"I don't mind if you undress in front of me. I just… just feel that it wouldn't be very respectful of me to… watch you undress. Not after what you've done." She said.

Shen rose a brow. He was glad Sarah was appreciative, but didn't expect her to show him this kind of respect. He didn't' say anything else as he removed his boxers and covered himself with the towel.

"Uh, we have to be naked?!" She said blushing.

"I cannot see myself bathing in a spring with clothes Sarah. Just a personal preference of mine. You can bathe however you want to." Shen said, setting aside the towel as he got deep into the water.

Sarah's face was nearly as red as her hair. She was about to bathe with a man who showed no concern for being nude in front of her. And yet, she felt uncomfortable getting nude in his presence. She had a feeling that he wouldn't look, but that didn't change the situation.

Miss Fortune looked at the towel Shen placed for her and back at him. He'd taken off his mask, setting it aside to avoid drenching it with sweat. The Bounty Hunter took a deep breath.

"Can I… Can I trust you n-not to look?" She stuttered.

"I spooned you last night when you were inebriated, you can trust me Sarah." Shen replied not looking.

She swallowed her nervousness and unbuttoned her white blouse. The redhead pulled down her pants next, crouching while doing so. She was almost hyperventilating as she undid her bra, and then slid off her panties. Sarah quickly covered her body in the towel, looking at Shen who didn't even move a muscle. He must've been meditating again.

She delicately and hesitantly put her foot into the spring. Miss Fortune couldn't stop a moan of contentment escaping her. She soon fully entered, lounging against a rock with the water level covering the majority of her chest. The redhead looked over at Shen who still didn't look. She smiled at what she deemed to be a gentlemen type of attitude.

"Do you come out here often Shen?" Sarah asked. "I know that I would. Having your very own spring by your home? I'd never leave it."

Shen chuckled, opening his eyes. He expected to see Sarah across from him at the other side, but she was actually sitting… almost beside him. The ninja was mildly surprised.

"I didn't think you'd be sitting right there." He said.

Sarah shrugged. "Your gentlemen type of attitude has made me feel more comfortable Shen. I guess I just feel comfortable sitting closer to someone who I can trust." She said with a tint of red.

Shen nodded in slight agreement. The two of them didn't speak for a few minutes. The silence was in no way awkward. They enjoyed relaxing with birds singing in the distance. Sarah allowed herself to slide down lower into the water.

Eventually, her nose caught an off-scent. A stench to be precise.

"What is that? Oh god! Something smells wrong in here!"

"I think it's you." Shen said impassively.

The Bounty Hunter glared daggers at him. She then remembered that she had slept in her clothes for most of the night and didn't shower once, not to mention her drinking kind of had an impact as well. Miss Fortune hesitantly lifted her arm, sniffing it and reeling back with a disgusted reaction.

"Jesus! That just reeks of wrong!" She exclaimed.

Shen only chuckled, rising from the water and pacing away from Sarah who frowned at her current scent. Moments later, he returned with a bar of soap. Miss Fortune rose a brow when he offered her the bar.

"Here. You can wash yourself up." He said.

Her face flushed, looking away momentarily. "Can I-I trust you to… you know what never mind. Give it here."

She didn't snatch it from him, but Sarah grabbed it not very gently either. Shen sat back down in his spot, closing his eyes when lounging. Miss Fortune looked back with a frown just to make sure he wasn't looking. Then she got to work.

Sarah rubbed her midriff with the soap, applying it with her eyes closed with a stern expression. She then applied it expertly to her ample chest and zealously did the same to her armpits where it was deemed to be the worst. She ran it over her arms and sides, splashing some water to wash the smell away. When her upper body was complete, Sarah hesitated to continue. The redhead looked at Shen who still had his eyes closed and the woman made her choice.

Miss Fortune perched her right leg on a rock, scrubbing the soap along her alluring thighs, resulting in her bubble shaped rear slightly showing. The woman did the same with her left and tended to her backside. With most parts washed, Sarah proceeded to tend to her back.

The Bounty Hunter felt much better after washing the scent from the night before off, and she had this other feeling too. When was the last time she'd washed herself in a hot spring with a man who showed no interest in watching her do the motions?

A rhetorical question; never.

"Shen."

One of his eyes partially opened at the sound of Miss Fortune's voice. "Yes Sarah?"

"Could you…" Sarah's face was like a tomato now. "…wash my back for me? Please?"

The redhead could feel both his eyes now looking at her. Her back felt like it was on fire from his gaze.

"I don't quite know how to respond to that Sarah." He said.

Her confident attitude briefly took over. "I'm a woman who prefers actions over words for answers Shen. You don't have to, but I'd feel a lot better if you did."

The ninja remained silent, impassively looking at the nude woman who had her back turned to him. The night before, he understood why she wanted him to spoon her, but now it seemed to be a bit of an odd request. Perhaps Sarah had rarely been this close with a man who didn't immediately try to ogle her.

Shen made his choice.

He came up behind her, brushing aside her red silky hair that resulted in it going over her shoulder and covering her chest. She almost let out a mewl when she felt his strong hands on her exposed back. Shen gently lathered Sarah's back with the soap, her eyes closed at his smooth technique knowing that he wouldn't try to reach around and give her mounds a caress.

However, he did do something she didn't expect.

Sarah felt her back get splashed by water resulting in her yelping at the action. She turned around, seeing Shen chuckling at her. She was very surprised at this… and couldn't help but grin at him with wide eyes.

Sarah splashed him back, chuckling all the while. She never, NEVER, expected him to have a playful attitude. She found herself get splashed again and she grinned wickedly at him.

"Oh it is on now!"

For a few minutes, the two champions splashed at each other, though it was Sarah who did the majority of it. Shen sat back down in the spring, Miss Fortune sitting next to him and not feeling the same way she felt when she first entered the spring. She looked at him with a smile. To her surprise, Shen was smirking slightly.

"Oh my God, do my eyes deceive me? Are you still smiling Shen?!" She asked jokingly.

Shen only looked at her with that smirk, saying nothing before putting his hands on his knees. Sarah barely managed to look away before the entirety of his body emerged from the water.

" _Don't look, don't look, don't look!"_ Her mind said.  _"Oooh, I bet caressing those abs would be so good. WHAT THE FUCK SARAH?! GET YOURSELF TOGETHER!"_

Miss Fortune practically slapped herself and Shen turned at the sound of it. Sarah looked at him with a timid smile and the ninja paced to the dojo with the towel wrapped around his lower body. Sarah sighed as she leaned against the rocks.

…

* * *

Sarah dried herself and got dressed. She chose to walk barefoot back to the dojo as the sun was shining brightly and the heat of it on the stoned path was a pleasant feeling. When she was finally off the heated path, the redhead slipped back on her heeled boots, the clacking of them sounding on the ground as she went to the dojos entrance. Miss Fortune had no idea where Shen was in the building, but her thoughts of his whereabouts were cut short when her stomach growled.

"Ooohhh." She groaned.

When was the last time she'd eaten? Probably not since yesterday. Sarah didn't know where the kitchen was which only added more to her newfound discomfort of being hungry. The redhead impatiently and anxiously went around the building, searching every spot for a resemblance of a kitchen. Shen was nowhere to be found during this time. Finally, she spotted something that practically made her drool.

A container of cookies could be seen sitting atop a small table in an area she hadn't discovered until now. Without thinking, Sarah bolted for it, skidding to a stop right in front of the container. The Bounty Hunter's fingers wiggled as she hungrily stared at the snacks. Scanning around briefly to make sure nobody was looking; she began to devour the cookies three at a time. The Bounty Hunter let out a moan of satisfaction as her stomach received the pastries, her impatient attitude going away briefly as she continued to eat the cookies. When she was done, Miss Fortune looked to her left with more focus, seeing practically a wall of pastries. She swallowed the food before gaping her mouth.

Before The Bounty Hunter could start her selection of goods, a grunt sounded from behind and she yelped as she turned, seeing Shen looking at her with his arms crossed. Sarah blushed, looking away.

"Um, I uh, I'm…" She stammered. Shen chuckled lightly. Sarah had grown used to him chuckling occasionally in her presence. "What?! I was hungry and had no idea where you were! I didn't know where the kitchen was!"

"No need to explain Sarah." Shen said calmly. "It's just that… well this is Kennen's personal pastry. And I believe you just ate his lemon cookies."

Miss Fortune's eyes went wide. She gulped soon after. "Don't tell Kennen… please?"

Shen chuckled again. He beckoned Miss Fortune to follow him. She figured he'd take her to the Promised Land known in her current state as the kitchen. As she expected, he did, but her eyes were drawn to the centre of the table where two cloth wrapped objects were.

"What is it?" She asked.

"It's consumables if that's what you're wondering." Shen said. "It's one of my favourite dishes, rice mixed with black beans and Jalapenos with a side of chicken."

Sarah's eyes lit up at the sound of this. It sounded like a spicy meal and she loved that type of food.

"Do you enjoy spicy food Sarah?" Shen asked.

"You kidding?! I absolutely love it! This meal sounds delicious!"

Shen's mask formed a little smirk. He proceeded to sit down and gestured Sarah to join him. Miss Fortune's heart was beating quite rapidly. Not even a day ago she knew nothing about Shen and didn't see him as someone to be around, but now all she wanted was to be in his presence. She heard the birds singing outside and it sparked an idea in her head.

"Oh Shen, it's quite a lovely day outside isn't it?" She said.

The ninja nodded approvingly.

"It uh, it seems like choosing to eat inside would be a bit of a shame. Maybe we could… eat outside?"

Shen rested his chin on his hand while leaning a bit closer, hinting some interest.

"You mean like a picnic?" He asked.

" _NO! NO! NO! YOU CANNOT SAY YES! WHY DO YOU WANT TO EAT OUTSIDE WITH HIM?!"_

"Yes!" She said with a bit of a voice crack.

The Eye of Twilight hummed at the answer. He looked back at the lit up walls of the dojo, taking notice of the colour. It made him smile underneath before facing Sarah who had one hand rubbing her other arm.

"I think you may be correct about that Sarah." Shen said. "In fact, this actually opens up another way to possibly add more balance to ones' mind."

Miss Fortune scoffed lightly at this. "Oh Shen, always about balance." She joked.

"We could have a little venture through the forest of Ionia, up to a hillside where there's a large clearing. We could picnic there if you wanted to."

A silly grin immediately came onto Sarah's expression. She was about to blurt out how excited she was before managing to contain it. "That sounds amazing Shen! I'd REALLY like to do that with you!"

A grumble sounded in the room and Miss Fortune's smile immediately disappeared. She put her hand on her stomach and made a sound of disappointment.

"On second thought, I'm not sure if I could make that hike in this condition." She said.

Shen stood up, pacing to a nearby bowl where he took a large green apple. It was absolutely perfect, no bruises anywhere. He washed it with water and passed it to Sarah. She smiled at the generosity.

"With that apple, you should be able to endure the hiking. If not, I can always carry you." He said.

Sarah picked up what she assumed was sarcasm in his monotone voice and playfully slapped his chest while giggling. She took a bite of the fruit and her eyes rolled back at the taste of it.

**"Shank eyuh Shan."**  She said with her mouth full.

He rose a brow at this before he started to chortle. Miss Fortune was in disbelief when he started to laugh a bit louder. The ninja's laugh was kind of the joyous, infectious laughter that catches on, the kind that gets everybody laughing, even at the most inappropriate time. A laugh that nobody in the league had ever heard, until now.

Miss Fortune couldn't resist joining in after she swallowed her bite.

…

* * *

The Bounty Hunter couldn't stop smiling as she kept her pace with Shen. They were hiking through the beautiful woods of Ionia, the redhead admiring it's view and features. They both had knapsacks with their food securely inside. Shen had used a technique to keep the food fresh so it wouldn't be spoiled when they arrived at the destination.

"I think I may have to start sailing to Ionia in my free time Shen. This trail, no, this forest, this whole land, it's… breathtaking!" Sarah exclaimed.

"You are always welcome to visit Ionia if you want to Sarah. The device I gave you has unlimited uses." Shen replied.

Sarah was surprised at this. A little smile curved on her lips.

"Well… if I did do that, would you be willing to accompany me during my visits?" She asked.

Shen hummed in response, unclear if it's was an affirmation or a sound of denial. Shen spoke.

"If I'm not occupied with my responsibilities… I suppose I could. If that is what you want Sarah."

The Bounty Hunter stopped at the end of the sentence. Shen soon stopped, turning entirely around to face her. Sarah's shoulders were slumped and her expression was deadpan. Shen tilted his head in minor confusion before the redhead ran and embraced him. His eyes widened and Sarah squeezed as tight as she could.

"Thank you Shen." She said. "I didn't expect you to actually do that."

The ninja said nothing and their embracement soon broke. He wasn't sure, but holding Sarah close to him made Shen feel a bit… happy.

It made him feel… emotions.

The ninja knew that he shouldn't allow his emotions to cloud his mind, but Sarah had gone from a full bitch-on-wheels to being… a friend.

All in such a short period of time.

"Come, we're almost there." He said with a head motion.

They walked for five more minutes, finally arriving at the destination that Shen described. Sarah put down her knapsack, not bothering to see where she put it as she was taken aback from the sight presented before her.

The Bounty Hunter had a full front view of Ionia. The trees were variously colored, ranging from green to red. She heard Shen walk up beside her and she shakenly turned to him. Miss Fortune was speechless.

"This is what you wake up to every morning Shen?"

The Eye of Twilight mused. "To an extent. It's not a bad way to start one's day." He replied.

Sarah took notice of a unique looking area that seemed to be situated in the centre of the view. "What's that area Shen?"

Shen narrowed his eyes to where she was pointing. An unseen smirk formed under his mask.

"That Sarah, is the Placidium of Navori, one of Ionia's most sacred places. Many, including myself when I was still training to become The Eye of Twilight, journeyed there to study its renowned schools, or meditate in its wild, magical gardens."

"I can understand why." Sarah said.

Shen sighed soon after. "Undoubtedly, that is probably why it became such a tempting target for the invading armies of Noxus during The Invasion of Ionia."

Miss Fortune turned to him, her brows furrowed with a worried expression. Shen rose a brow at this and she hesitantly turned away, unsure of what to say.

"Can I trust you not to try and steal it Sarah?" He asked.

The Bounty Hunter assumed this was another humorous attempt from Shen. She raised a brow before playfully batting him. "Be quiet you silly man."

"Come, I think it's time to eat." Shen said.

The ninja reached into his knapsack, pulling out a blanket and spreading it out along the grass. He proceeded to take out a bag of apples and two bottles of water. Sarah reached into hers, taking out the wrapped up container that had her lunch. Shen handed her a fork and she sat down cross legged, the container resting on her lap.

"You might need something to drink with that meal Sarah." Shen advised.

The Bounty Hunter gave a half-assed agreement and reached for a bottle of water, but heard Shen tell her to stop. Miss Fortune turned to see the ninja offering her a bottle. It appeared to be an alcoholic beverage and Sarah was surprised.

"Is that… booze?" She asked.

Shen nodded and the woman slowly took the bottle. She read the label.  _"Alexander Keith's, Ionian Pale Ale?"_

"I figured that you could use an alcoholic beverage for this picnic. I wasn't sure if it was a good idea after last night, but I thought I'd bring it along just in case." He said.

Miss Fortune gave him a little smile. "Thanks Shen."

Unscrewing the top of the bottle, Sarah chose to smell it at first before taking a sip. She sloshed it around in her mouth, getting a taste before gulping it down. Her eyes closed and did a couple quick motions given the foreign taste.

"Mmmm!" She sounded. "That's delicious!"

Shen unwrapped his container and took the lid off. Sarah looked at him expecting to have a beverage of his own, but he didn't.

"Where's your drink Shen?"

"I'm not exactly a drinker Sarah. I tend to avoid those substances." He replied before taking a bite of his lunch.

Sarah pouted at this. Strangely enough, her being the one drinking made her feel alone again, to an extent. "Here. Have a sip." She said offering the bottle.

The ninja looked at her with rare bewilderment.

**Miss Fortune, The Bounty Hunter, was sharing her booze with him?!**

"May I ask why?"

She gave a minor shrug. "It's better to share a drink than to drink alone."

He considered her words and somewhat agreed. Shen took the bottle, tilting his head back as he took a small sip. Sarah couldn't see his entire expression, but Shen's mouth formed a rather disgusted look as he downed the drink. She couldn't help but burst out laughing. Shen grumbled as he passed the bottle back to her.

"I guess you can't hold your liquor sweetie. You've mastered the balance in everything but drinking."

The Eye of Twilight only chuckled in response. "There never was a lot of time for these types of festivities when I was younger."

Miss Fortune sighed, feeling minor guilt for laughing at him. "I'm sorry Shen. I shouldn't have laughed. After all, you didn't laugh at me for being too scared to sleep alone when I came here last night."

Shen was about to reply, but the sound of both their stomachs' growling shut them up.

The pair finished up their meals in less than three minutes, both satisfied with the food Shen had cooked up. However, they both took long gulps form their bottled water to help wash down the spice. They each had an apple as dessert, putting them aside once they were finished. A light breeze had picked up which gave the champions a form of cooling off to an extent. Sarah looked up to see there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. She sighed at its beauty.

"This was a wonderful idea Shen." She said. "I only wish I could've done this more often when I was younger."

"They don't have picnics in Bilgewater?"

Miss Fortune scoffed at this. "The closest thing they do have to picnics is a bowl of nuts in the bar with a few drunken idiots. Not exactly what I imagined." She said before taking a sip of her nearly empty drink.

"Oh. Well, I'm sorry to hear that." Shen said.

Sarah hummed in response. She didn't know why she brought that up and figured she should forget about it. The redhead chose to adjust her position, putting her legs out further off the blanket and lying flat on her back, one arm as a make-shift pillow. Her eyes met with Shens and she smiled sincerely. To her surprise, he adjusted his positioning too, laying down opposite of Sarah with their heads directly beside each other.

"This is nice." Sarah said.

The two of them sighed at the comfort.

"It's funny isn't it? I never imagined that my bitchy attitude towards you last night would've led me to lying under the sun in Ionia during a picnic." She said as she continued to look up.

"Along with you finding me to be interesting company?" Shen added.

"Hmm, yeah I suppose." Miss Fortune said. She decided to show her thanks as best as she could. Sarah gently raised her hand upwards to capture Shen's hand with it. The ninja slowly looked over to her. A tint of red was on her again. "Thank you Shen. For everything. For helping me in my time of need, even when I was completely resistant to it. I owe you a great debt and a sincere apology for my words towards you earlier."

Again, Shen looked at her with bewilderment. However, he was more surprised by the way his emotions were reacting. He felt some heat rush up to his cheek, but luckily he had switched the look of it around with his lower half being covered while his black hair was visible. He smirked under the mask and both of them looked up at the blue sky.

Sarah took a deep sigh of pleasure, feeling Shen's hand still connected with hers. It gave her a feeling of safety.

A feeling of trust.

A feeling of… love?

Her eyes slowly closed as she fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

_Miss Fortune sat at the square, rather wobbly table in the bar. She kept her posture straight, a half-full mug of ale resting on the table. Her hair was greatly dishevelled, half of it resting atop her left shoulder and covering one eye. Her leg-wear had some holes in it and her shirt was half tugged in._

_She'd had a rough day. And the evening wasn't going to be any different._

_A man in unique armor came through the door, whistling a tune that nearly everyone recognised. Sarah didn't bother looking up, only clutching the mug tighter as she clenched her teeth. The man's steps passed her and she heard the chair across from her slide back. Sarah's azure pupils met the red visor of the new arrival. His armor was black and the mask covered the majority of his face. Holstered on his back was a rifle that he'd invented on his own._

" _Well, good to see you again Sarah." The man said._

_Miss Fortune huffed in amusement. "James Holland, how are you honey?"_

" _Been better." James replied. "It's not every day that an old friend of mine calls me up for some help with a… personal issue?"_

_Sarah scoffed, chugging down the rest of her drink and looking blankly ahead as it started to make her tipsy._

" _You sure you should be drinking? The situation you described made it sound like it'd be better to be sober." James said._

_The Bounty Hunter gave a shrug. Her fingers tapped the mug one by one as she stared at the Noxian. James chose to take off the top of his helmet, revealing his different colored pupils. The waitress came by the table._

" _Another refill?" She asked Sarah who nodded._

" _I'll have what she's having." James said._

" _Sure thing hon." The waitress said smiling._

_James rose a brow before taking off the mouthpiece, revealing the unattractive scar along his chin. The waitress winced at this and walked away._

" _You've seen better days James." Sarah said laughing._

_The man nodded with a chuckle. "You're not looking so good yourself sweetheart."_

_Miss Fortune had to give him that. She looked at the door, hoping to see another person come through it. James leaned forward._

" _My, you seem anxious." James said._

" _Apparently if I look at the door, it means I'm anxious?" Sarah retorted._

" _Well you said you were helping someone who was in trouble. That is why you called me here after all right?" James asked. "I didn't realize that them not showing up would cause you to worry."_

_Sarah glared daggers at the man. "Believe me, I have a good reason to worry about them."_

" _Please… enlighten me." James said leaning back._

_Miss Fortune looked around briefly before leaning closer to James. "This person is in hot water with someone I'm hunting. Someone that I intend to show that they'll rue the day they came to my mother's forge."_

_James's eyes went abruptly wide. "Gangpla- MPH!"_

" _Don't say that! This place is likely crawling with his goons!" Sarah hissed as she covered his mouth with her hand. "This person can help me pinpoint and track the damn reaver down. They're just being targeted by one of his top men."_

" _So you called me here to help with your personal crusade against this man?" James asked almost seemingly exasperated. Sarah slowly nodded. He snorted at this. "Well why didn't you just say so?!"_

_She smirked at his words. Then they heard the door open and a woman with a child ran in, clutching them tightly. Sarah stood up to help comfort the woman while James groaned at the sight of the child._

" _You alright?" Sarah asked._

_The woman shakenly nodded, comforting her confused and rather distressed child. Miss Fortune sat them down and she looked at the unknown man._

" _It's okay, he's a friend. We're going to get you out of this Moreno." Sarah said. "Were you followed?"_

" _Y-Yes we were!" Moreno replied, horror evident._

" _Oh that's just great." James said sarcastically. "Did you really have to bring the kid here?"_

" _ **James!"**_ _Sarah said with venom and anger in her voice. "She has nowhere to go, and her child is terrified as much as she is! No need to be a prick." Miss Fortune turned to Moreno. "Don't mind him, someone stole his teddy when he was little."_

_The man rolled his eyes, realising that he'd probably should've chosen his words wiser. "Sorry, not really a big fan of kids."_

_Sarah took a deep breath, her hand on Moreno's shoulders to help ease her fear. James sighed, looking around the bar._

" _Shit!" Sarah whispered._

_James looked at Sarah and followed her eyes to the entrance. What seemed like a dozen men had stepped into the bar, being led presumably by the one who was bald and had numerous visible scratches on his head while being dressed in black clothing. The other bar patrons had recognised him and fell silent. Sarah soon looked away, not intending to show her face to the man just yet. James put his mouth piece back on, slowly reaching for his rifle and grasping it under the table._

" _Moreno!" The man called out, not with the intention to have the woman show herself, but to instill more fear. He'd already seen her._

" _Who's that?" James whispered._

" _Ezra Sullivan." Sarah whispered back. "One of Gangplank's most decorated crew members. Just the kind of man the coward would send."_

_Sullivan made his way over to the table with one of his men tagging along, stealing a patrons chair in the process. He sat down in between Sarah and Moreno. The other thug sat beside James, glaring at him tensely._

" _Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Sullivan said with his attention focused on Sarah. "Miss Sarah Fortune? Don't I know you from somewhere?"_

_The redhead kept a stern look. She slowly shook her head. "No."_

" _Oh yes I do. Your mommy refused to give my captain two pistols that he rightly deserved because she feared what he became. Now you're following in her footsteps, defending those who are too weak with weapons designed to kill those types of people." Sullivan sneered._

_Sarah didn't even flinch at those words to his amazement._

" _Why don't you just let us get on with our business here, and we'll leave without any problems eh?" Sullivan said putting his hand on Moreno. He started to slowly pull her shirt off._

" _Take your hands off her!" James abruptly said. "She's with us!"_

_Sullivan looked at James in bewildered amusement. "Wow, what do we have here? That kind of armor looks effective. Might have to steal that off you my friend."_

" _He's with me." Sarah snapped. She took out one of her pistol's and aimed underneath the table at his crotch area. Sullivan only gave a toothy grin. "Why don't you leave this woman alone, and tell your brave captain that she skipped town? Think you can do that big man? Gangplank must be quite afraid if he sends 12 men to deal with a situation such as this. Unless of course, he's secretly afraid of me. I'm just a little girl with two guns right?"_

_Sullivan said nothing. The other thug quietly took out a switchblade knife, but James caught onto this and grabbed the man's arm, yanking him forward where he elbowed his torso. The thug groaned and James slammed him headfirst on the table before shoving him back. The other thugs tensed up and reached into their pockets for presumed weapons. James and Sarah traded nods as he slipped on the top half of his helmet._

" _Keep your head down." He advised to Moreno._

_James pushed the table into Sullivan and Sarah proceeded to flip it over. The trio took cover behind the table as gunfire sounded. James shielded Moreno who screamed in terror with her child practically crying. The other bars patrons chose to get the hell out of there, though some of them were cut down by the gunfire. The bartender and waitresses didn't fair any better._

" _Let's show these pirate thugs who they're messing with!" Miss Fortune shouted._

_James nodded at her words and readied his rifle, Sarah priming her twin pistols. The Noxian rolled to the left of the table behind a pillar. The thugs concentrated their fire on him, the wood splintering from the impact of bullets._

" _COME ON YOU SONS OF BITCHES!" He shouted._

_James returned fire with his rifle, Miss Fortune wasting no time in vaulting over the table, firing rapidly at the thugs. She then vaulted over the bar, bottles shattering from the attackers' gunfire._

" _Nothing but powder monkeys!"_

_A thug chose to peek over the counter to get a clear shot, but Sarah grabbed his rifle and clubbed him with the butt of it. She turned the weapon against the other thugs, taking cover after shooting down two. Meanwhile James changed his position. He grabbed the thug he knocked out and hefted him to his feet. James holstered his rifle on his back, taking his sidearm out and aiming._

" _Come on, bring it!" He shouted._

_The thugs chose to shoot at their colleague who was being used as a shield. Blood spurted from the new wounds as James continued to shoot down the attackers one by one. Sarah laughed smugly and grabbed her two pistols. She leaped from the bar, firing dozens of shots at the thugs who returned fire, but failed to fatally hit her. Sarah landed on the ground with a grunt and James kicked the mangled corpse at their assailants._

_During the exchange of gunfire, a bullet went right through Sarah's arm, blood spurting from the sound and causing her to lurch in the direction of impact. James noticed this and growled._

" _AHHH! MOTHER FUCKERS!"_

_Sarah shook off the hit, the two of them cutting down the remainder of thugs until there was nobody left standing._

"…"

"…"

"…"

" _Moreno, it's safe to come out!" Sarah shouted._

_James took off his crimson soaked helmet. "Aw man, I just had this cleaned." He said jokingly._

_Miss Fortune received no response from the woman. She turned in the direction of their table. "Moreno?"_

_Still no response. Sarah exchanged a look with James before sprinting over to the table. Her eyes widened in horror at the sight while James sighed, his shoulders slumping down. He looked away with a wince._

" _Goddammit." He muttered._

_Sarah dropped her guns with a clang sounding, falling to her knees at the horrific sight of the bullet-ridden corpses of the mother and her child._

" _I promised that I'd keep them safe." She said with her voice breaking._

_James didn't say anything. He went behind the bar, finding a large towel before returning to the overturned table. He silently put it over the corpses, blocking the horrified looks of their final moments from Miss Fortune's eyesight._

" _There was nothing you could've done Sarah." He said. "She got herself into more trouble than she could handle."_

_The man felt Sarah's palm connect sharply with his cheek that resulted in his head being forcibly jerked aside._

" _Shut up, NOW." Sarah snapped._

_James glared daggers at her, rubbing the point of impact. The two of them then heard a groan and Sarah's eyes fell to the body of Sullivan. She growled at him._

**" _Why you…"_**

_Miss Fortune lifted Sullivan to his feet and slammed him against the wooden pillar. She sent a heavy blow to his cheek and he spurted out a tooth. James only watched._

" _You son of a bitch!" She said hitting Sullivan again. "You think you're a big man don't you? You think you're all powerful because you killed a defenseless woman and her child?!"_

_Sullivan laughed mockingly at her words. "I didn't kill her, my men did!"_

_The Bounty Hunter sent a punch with such strength to the man that he crashed through the pillar, landing on the messy floor with a long groan. Sarah stomped his abdomen, making a pained yell sound._

" _Yeah, you feel that? That's a sample of the pain you're going to feel in a few moments."_

" _Sarah…" James said cautiously approaching._

" _Stay the fuck away from me James. Let me handle this." She snapped._

_The Noxian sighed and slowly backed away. Miss Fortune pressed down rougher on Sullivan's torso. He started to yell in pain._

" _What's the matter?! You hurt?!" She sneered._

_The Bounty Hunter kicked Sullivan onto his front and pinned her boots on his arms. "This is for Moreno."_

_Miss Fortune grabbed the mans shoulders and started to repeatedly slam him face first on the wooden floor. It didn't take long for blood splatters to appear on the point of impact, Sullivan's face becoming redder by the moment. James leaned against the wall, his arms crossed with a head tilt as Sarah kept beating Sullivan to death._

_Then with one mighty motion, Sarah slammed what remained of Sullivan's face into the dented floor, a crack sounding and a huge flow of crimson soon covering the floor all around the pirates' head. Sarah panted as she got off the corpse, inhaling deeply as she calmed herself down._

…

* * *

" _Just hold still!" James said with evident irritation._

_Miss Fortune growled before hissing at the feeling of the alcohol soaked rag contacting the bullet wound on her arm. They were at her residence in the bedroom where James was tending to her. Sarah was still in her tattered clothing while James was in black trousers with a blue shirt. Eventually, he bandaged up her wound and got off the bed._

" _I don't recall you being such a big baby Sarah." He said chuckling._

" _Would you shut the fuck up?!" Sarah said standing defiantly._

_James huffed at her words. He got closer to the redhead, their faces just inches apart as their eyes were locked onto the other person._

" _Is that really the best way to treat the man who just tended to your wound, Sarah?" James asked. His anger had all but consumed him. "Why do you have such a stick up your ass today?"_

_Miss Fortune practically snarled. She brushed aside the hair covering her left eye. "Everything was going fine for me today until the fucking shoot-out at the bar happened with the result of someone I promised to protect being shot dead!"_

_The man groaned at this. "I never expected someone who was raised in Bilgewater, the haven for smugglers, marauders, and the unscrupulous, where fortunes are made and ambitions shattered in the blink of an eye, would care so much about the death of a woman and her child."_

_The Bounty Hunter slapped James harshly, sending his head jerking to the point again. "You will NOT speak that way about her!" She snapped. "Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that the strong prey on the weak, and nobody does a Goddamn thing about it?"_

" _I can understand that Sarah, but if you go around trying to help everyone who's in trouble, you'll end up alongside their corpse one of these days. You should remember that when you were almost killed with your parents." James said with a little voice crack on the last part._

_He managed to avoid Sarah's slap, but then she tackled him onto the bed and James had enough of it. The two of them traded blows; clenched fists connecting with angry grunts from both. The bed shook from the tussle and eventually James knocked Sarah flat onto the floor and he pinned her with his boots. Sarah spat at him and James flinched with disgust._

" _Now you listen to me,_ _ **friend.**_ _" He said with emphasis on the last word. "You call me here to help you after years of no contact, I show up and the first thing that happens is I get shot at by thugs of the Bilgewater Reaver Gangplank. Do you believe that just getting information from unfortunate targets of his is going to get you your revenge?!"_

_Miss Fortune just huffed at the question._

" _Listen to me, you won't get anywhere on your own. I know that it's easier to work alone, but not against Gangplank. You need allies Sarah." James said as he stopped pinning her._

_The Bounty Hunter rose a brow when James extended his hand. She blew a strand of hair out of her eye before grabbing it with the man pulling her up._

" _You need a lover by your side."_

_James quickly put his arm around Miss Fortune's waist and pulled her in for an abrupt kiss. The woman let out a sound of protest and forcefully broke it. Sarah glared daggers at him._

" _How dare you kiss me!" She exclaimed._

_Then, she grabbed his head and roughly locked her lips with his again. Their tongues violently fought with unmatched fervor as a heat of pleasure flooded through their bodies. This time James broke it._

" _Leave me alone… I don't like fast women." He said coldly._

_They passionately kissed and fell onto the bed again with Sarah on top. Her fingers went around to his back and started to dig into the skin making him hiss at the feeling. Miss Fortune started to nibble on his ears and growled a little when feeling his hands on her plump backside._

" _And I don't like… cold blooded… arrogant Noxians like you!" She said between nibbles._

_Miss Fortune sat up straight, putting one hand around his neck and squeezing slightly, making him groan in alarm. Sarah grasped the centre of his shirt, making a strained cry as she tore it off, revealing James's tone stomach with her hand loosening around his neck._

" _Arggh, you fucking bitch." He said with clenched teeth._

_James threw himself up to capture Sarah's lips again, loving the taste of her apart from the aftertaste of the alcohol. His hand chose to go down lower, grabbing one of her ample breasts and Miss Fortune growled in response. James felt her sharp nails digging into his torso and he had enough. The man shifted his weight with the two of them rolling off the bed and landing on the hardwood floor with Miss Fortune laughing a bit like a lunatic._

…

* * *

_Moonlight shined into the bedroom of Miss Fortune's house. It only caught the lower half of the bed. The bottom of the bedsheet had entwined feet sticking out with them rubbing together for affection and warmth. James was laying flat on his back, an arm wrapped around the waist of Sarah who was on her side cuddling against him._

" _James?" She asked._

" _Hmm?"_

" _You said that I needed close allies and lovers. Can you promise me that you won't get jealous when I have to use an alternative to get them on my side?" She giggled._

_James snorted in response. "I'm going to let you figure that out for yourself. I'm more concerned about you getting lost in the moment when a man abruptly kisses you. Too submissive if you ask me."_

_Miss Fortune hummed in response. "Would you believe me if I told you that I slept with a knife under my pillow?"_

_The man looked down at the azure pupils of the redhead who grinned widely. He rose a brow when she pulled out a switchblade from the pillow, bringing it closer to him. Then, she grabbed an apple while keeping that grin visible. Sarah cut off a delicate piece of the apple, consuming the fruit as James looked at her in bewilderment causing her to laugh afterwards._

" _Trust me honey, I know how to handle myself." She said as she offered a slice to James._

_Miss Fortune threw aside the fruit when it was consumed enough, placing the switchblade on a nearby desk before getting back into her position from before. James kissed her noggin and absentmindedly stroked her crimson hair._

" _James?"_

" _Yes?"_

" _Can I trust you to always be by my side? At least until this crusade is done and over with?"_

_The Noxian hummed in response. He put his hand on Sarah's chin, tilting her head upward to meet his gaze._

" _Yes you can. I'll be with you… until the end." He said._

_The man sealed it with a kiss and they both drifted off to sleep._

…

* * *

"Hey Sarah, wake up." A familiar voice said.

Miss Fortune mumbled incoherently as she awoke from her nap. She felt a hand that wasn't hers slightly shaking her shoulder and her azure pupils slowly opened to see Shen looking down at her.

"James…" She mumbled.

The ninja rose a brow at this, but then heard a thunderclap in the distance and Sarah's eyes became more alert.

"Wake up Sarah, we should get going." Shen advised. "A storm is about to hit."

Miss Fortune sat up with a stretch and yawn, her red hair messy and out of place. She blinked at her new surroundings, seeing that some dark clouds had formed. Shen must've been meditating and didn't take notice of the clouds until the thunder. The two of them started to pack up, shoving what they could fit inside their knapsacks in a disorderly fashion.

"Kind of an unpleasant change to such a lovely picnic Shen!" Sarah said laughing.

Shen grunted in agreement. A few rain drops started to descend from the clouds, giving the pair a hint that it was only going to get worse. Sarah chose to hold Shen's hand as he led the way back to the dojo, but the downpour began and the two of them were soon drenched to the bone.

"Sarah, don't let go of my hand! I have a place we can hide out in!"

Miss Fortune was going to suggest that he should just teleport them back to the dojo, but The Eye of Twilight was already pulling her in a different direction. Sarah accepted this with a little laugh.

Weaving through the forest amidst the downpour, Shen and Sarah came upon a stone wall. Miss Fortune looked up to see the higher point of a mountain, but her observing was cut short when Shen continued to lead her.

He began to walk to the left, eventually finding an opening in the stone. Sarah's eyes widened in mild surprise as Shen led her into a cave. Inside was a large cavern, glowing eerily blue given the weather. In the middle was a crystal clear spring of water. Some drops of rain were falling into it with Sarah looking up to see the ceiling had an opening in the center, allowing what light there was to come in and provide an additional glow.

Miss Fortune's mouth was agape.

"Shen? What… is this place?" She asked, clearly still surprised by the beauty.

The ninja set aside his wet knapsack, pacing to a rock to get a full view of the cavern. He offered his hand to Sarah who took it and she stood up with him.

"I stumbled upon this place during my early years as The Eye of Twilight." Shen began. "I consider it to be like a personal sanctum of mine. It helped me during my times of trouble, especially after the death of my father."

He turned towards Sarah, not saying anything else. The Bounty Hunter was unsure of what to say.

"Why are you… showing me this?"

"Well it was to get you out of the rain for one." Shen said making Miss Fortune laugh. "But, if you really do wish to visit Ionia in your free time, and I'm not able to provide my presence, you can always come here to find peace and solitude… until I'm able to accompany you."

Miss Fortune gave him a look of awe. It felt like she was actually seeing this man for the first time in her life. They barely knew eachother outside of the rift, and yet, this wasn't the Shen that she expected to see. He was said to be emotionless and not even a man, but the ninja had showed Sarah that underneath that mask, he was just as human as her.

"You know Shen? You really know how to impress a lady." Sarah said with a sincere smile.

Shen felt Sarah's well manicured fingers caress his right cheek, pulling down the mask that obstructed the lower half of his face. She cooed at him and then chose to bury her face into his soaked robes, closing her eyes as she sighed with pleasure. Shen usually wasn't this close to a person, but through the damp clothing, he could feel the heartbeat and warmth of the woman he imagined was too arrogant and cocky to accept his help.

The ninja slowly brought his arms up and crossed them behind Miss Fortune's soaked back, pulling her slightly closer as he rested his sharp clean chin on her head. They held that position for a few minutes before finally breaking it.

"I never expected this side of you Shen." Miss Fortune said smiling.

"One could say the same about you, Bounty Hunter." Shen replied.

The redhead suddenly got a wicked idea. She cupped both of Shen's hands with her own and brought them up.

"Shen…" Sarah said with a sultry tone. "…I told you to call me SARAH!"

Shen felt Miss Fortune press her weight against him and she shoved him off the rock, resulting in him landing in the spring with a splash. He came back up soon to see Miss Fortune laughing at him hysterically. The ninja gave her an unamused look and she calmed herself down.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry!" She said taking a few deep breathes. "That was uncalled for."

Sarah paced down to the spring, extending a hand to help Shen out of the water which he took. Miss Fortune pulled, but Shen didn't move much to her surprise. Instead, he yanked her towards him, resulting in the woman flying over him while screaming and landing in the spring. She resurfaced moments after, looking at her soaked clothes and then at Shen.

"Oh, you little ninja bitch!" She said laughing.

Miss Fortune tackled Shen down and more splashes occurred. Sarah was panting heavily with a smile, looking down at Shen. That's when she became truly shocked.

The Bounty Hunter had straddled herself onto Shen's waist, her hands on his arms, effectively keeping him pinned down amidst the light water.

A sense of pleasure, passion… and love passed through her. When was the last time she'd felt such a connection with a man who seemed to understand her?

" **James Holland."** She said, her hands releasing from Shens.

While her body felt the urge of love and passion, Sarah's mind was abruptly filled with dread. Shen could sense this.

"Sarah? Is everything okay?"

Miss Fortune looked around with confusion and angst, soon feeling dizzy in the process. She got off Shen, standing up as she clutched her head in agony. The memories of her relationship with James Holland, their friendship and them eventually becoming lovers. Shen quickly stood up, concerned for her well-being.

"Sarah." He said.

The Bounty Hunter started to lightly sob. Shen put his hand on her shoulder, and without hesitation, Sarah turned around and threw herself at the ninja, burying herself into his chest as she let out the sadness that had been begging to be released after being pent up for so long.

Through her grieving, Sarah told Shen the story.

…

* * *

" _Come on you ugly sons of bitches! Show me what you got!" James shouted._

" _Oh James, you always have to resort to name calling in the most dangerous situations!" Sarah replied laughing._

_Wood splintered from the gunfire against the duos cover. It was pouring rain, thunder and lighting in the sky amongst the port of Bilgewater. Flames were lit on Gangplank's ship where a prolonged firefight between what remained of Miss Fortune's crew was against Gangplank's. Well, with Miss Fortune's crew, it was only her and James left with them being pinned at the helm._

" _Got any ideas?!" James asked as he fired his rifle._

" _I'm all out of ideas honey! Unless you want to have one last drink of rum!" Sarah replied, gesturing to a nearby barrel of the alcoholic fluid._

_This gave James an idea. He put the rifle on his back, going over to the barrel and bringing it back to their position. James poked a hole in it with his knife and took a sip of the leaking drink. He offered some to Miss Fortune who gladly accepted._

" _Alright Sarah, do your thing. I'll handle the rest." James said._

_Miss Fortune nodded and took a few deep breathes. The Bounty Hunter stood up, jumping over the railing of the helm and in front of the captains' cabin. The pirates opened fire on Sarah who took cover behind the pillars, shooting back at the assailants. James used this distraction to throw the barrel of rum over the rails with it landing on the deck and rolling into the flames. The flames made contact with the liquor and soon the deck was ablaze with a majority of the pirates dying. James landed in front of Sarah, looking at the scene presented before him. He turned back to Miss Fortune who laughed victoriously at the actions with him joining in._

_A gunshot was heard with a glass shard breaking. James's laugh slowly stopped and Miss Fortune widened her eyes in horror when seeing that on his uniform, some blood was leaking from his abdomen._

" _Sarah…" He moaned._

_The man fell back on the deck, writhing and clutching his wound in pain. Sarah heard a familiar, cold laugh from behind. Stepping from the flames was the ruthless man, no, the pirate who took everything from her._

_The Reaver of Bilgewater._

" _ **Gangplank…"**_

" _Didn't you get the warning from your parents' messy deaths?" Gangplank sneered._

_Miss Fortune growled and aimed her pistols at the pirate. She pulled the triggers._

_*click*_

_She looked alarmingly at her weapons as Gangplank laughed triumphantly._

" _There it is… that scared little girl 15 years ago. Nothing's changed in you…_ _ **Sarah**_ _."_

_The pirate felt something sharp stab his leg and he howled at the pain. Gangplank quickly turned around, delivering a boot to James's face. The Noxian's helmet came off and he crashed into the wall, unconscious. Miss Fortune didn't waste any time._

_By the time Gangplank turned around, he wasn't fast enough to react to Miss Fortune tackling him down. His pistol and sword flew out of his hands into the spreading fire._

" _THIS ENDS TONIGHT GANGPLANK!" Sarah shouted._

_The pirate put his hand over Sarah's face, his fingers moving to try and gouge her eyes. Miss Fortune instinctively put a hand on his arm to remove it, but Gangplank pushed her off with his foot. Both of them stood up, panting and glaring. The pirate tried to club Sarah down, but she side stepped and hit his lower kidney. Gangplank clutched the point and Sarah grabbed his collar. The redhead sent three punches to the pirates' face, but on the fourth one, he grabbed her fist and held it back. Miss Fortune tried to punch him with her other one, but Gangplank blocked it._

_The man then twisted Sarah's arm and she found herself at a disadvantage. Gangplank sent a punch to her back, but Miss Fortune retaliated with an elbow to his chin. She spun around with two strikes hitting Gangplank, but he parred the next one again and struck her down._

" _Can't take the crown till the king's dead, little girl!"_

_Gangplank grabbed Sarah's ear, pulling her up harshly with her groaning. He was about to hit her, but the redhead delivered a quicker punch that broke his grip on her ear. However, Gangplank easily countered the next hit and struck her lower torso and then clubbed her down. Blood splattered from Miss Fortune's mouth. Gangplank then grabbed her hair and cracked his knuckle before sending a heavy blow to her face. Sarah landed harshly on the wooden surface, her face all bruised and bloody._

_The Bounty Hunter started to weakly crawl away from Gangplank who found this to be amusing. He kept a slow pace with her and laughed when she brought her hand up as a plead for mercy. The pirate didn't see her grab a bottle of whisky._

" _Don't get cocky!" Sarah said._

_She kicked his leg and Gangplank stumbled. Miss Fortune kicked him again as she stood back up and raised the bottle behind her before breaking it over Gangplank's head, making him dazed._

_Glaring daggers at him, Sarah struck his bruised face, then again, then again, and on her fourth punch, she swung with such force that she practically spun around and Gangplank spurted out blood, but he was still standing. Miss Fortune looked at him, reeling back her fist, but the pirate was spent._

_Gangplank collapsed back into the flames, his whisky soaked clothing soon catching on fire and he started to yell in terror. Sarah was too dazed and exhausted to chase after Gangplank as he disappeared into the ever growing inferno of what remained of his ship._

" _James."_

_Sarah turned around, seeing James trying to get up while clutching his bullet wound. The Bounty Hunter went to give help, but a creaking was heard._

_Wood was splintering._

_Both of them looked upwards, seeing the ships inferno sail beginning to fall. James and Sarah froze as they met their gazes._

" _S-Sarah…"_

_Miss Fortune saw the mast falling towards his position. She opened her mouth to shout, but it took a few seconds to finally get the words out._

" _ **JAMES! MOVE!"**_

_The last thing that Sarah could see was the shadow of James presumably vault over the edge of the ship before the mast made contact with the barrels of gunpowder, resulting in a violent explosion that sent Miss Fortune flying off the ship and into the waters below. Debris followed with her as she floated down deeper into the abyss._

_It took several moments for her to emerge, gasping for air as the waves crashed against her. Sarah was inhaling more water than oxygen at the moment. It took all her strength to swim ashore, weaving through the scattered debris in her uphill battle for the safety of solid land. Miss Fortune was on all fours, gasping deeply for air as she coughed up some of the water she swallowed._

_The Bounty Hunter flopped on the ground, utterly spent and exhausted. She weakly flipped herself over, looking up at the dark clouds of the storm before her eyes turned to the sinking blaze of what remained of Gangplank's ship._

_She'd done it. She'd gotten her revenge against the man who took everything from her. All in front of Bilgewater._

_Then she remembered something._

" _James."_

_Sarah looked out at the water, hoping to see her best friend and lover hopefully coming ashore soon._

_They didn't._

_A piece of presumed debris then washed up a few feet from Sarah. Its shape was unique. A shape she recognised._

_And it was the last thing she wanted to see._

_Miss Fortune sighed as she picked up James's helmet. Her lips quivered as she took in the new presented reality. He was nowhere to be found, and with his wounds, it was likely he drowned in the water, or got crushed by the debris. Miss Fortune pressed the helmet against her bloody forehead, whimpering as she cried for her dead love._

…

* * *

 

_The storm had passed, pale moonlight shining into the home of Miss Fortune… except now, she was alone. James had stayed with her every night since that shoot-out in the bar a few years back. Sarah had gotten used to there being another person in the room with her, but now, she was truly alone._

_A spider was carefully scuttling along the table of empty bottles, the redhead laying face down on the hardwood surface. Then, the spider found itself encased in a glass bottle abruptly from the now awake Sarah. She looked at it with tired eyes, disinterested at the moment as she regained her energy ever so slowly. The creature weakly hit the glass to get out._

_The Bounty Hunter looked to her left, seeing an unopened bottle of rum with a cork._

" _Fuck it." She slurred._

_Miss Fortune stood up, taking the bottle and leaning against a chest placed by the wall. She bit down on the top, yanking it off with her teeth and spitting it onto the floor. The woman studied the bottle, slightly smiling._

" _You want one last drink honey?" She said to herself, reconciling the exchange between her and James._

_She took a swig from the bottle, almost stumbling over as she took a few clumsy steps towards her window, pulling a nearby chair towards her and slouched into it, her heeled feet resting atop the surface of the window. Miss Fortune took another swig._

" _I'm sorry James. I'm sorry that I couldn't bring you back home. I'm sorry that I got you killed. I'm sorry that you couldn't be here… in the moment that we both anticipated would come eventually." She muttered to herself before taking another swig. "Good job Sarah… you got your best friend and lover, your true lover, killed."_

_Suddenly, she felt a presence in the room. Miss Fortune stood up, turning around to see nothing but darkness in the unlit parts of her bedroom. As her senses adjusted, she didn't feel the presence of another person anymore. Her brows furrowed at this disappointing result. She could've sworn that she felt another presence in the room with her._

_The thought was too painful for her to continue thinking about, dread and guilt filling her mind as she tried to drown it out with more alcohol._

_Miss Fortune went to the window, looking out at the city who'd just lost its presumed leader. She couldn't have made it this far without James's help, and she would ensure that his death would not be in vain._

_Sarah would never know that the moment she turned around, a gloved hand had just disappeared out of sight, leaving behind a note that she'd find the next morning explaining everything._

…

* * *

Shen remained silent, sitting right beside Miss Fortune whose face was still a bit red from the crying, eyes a bit puffy as well. She was curled up in another fetal position, her arms around her legs.

"So what did the note say?" He asked.

Sarah sniffled, brushing aside a tear as her eyes fluttered to clear up. "I didn't read it."

He raised a brow at this. Sarah's quivering lips compressed as she began to scowl.

"May I ask why?" Shen said.

Miss Fortune's fists clenched. "Because I didn't want to hear… to hear… TO HEAR HIS LYING BULLSHIT!" She screamed, tears escaping her eyes once more. Shen flinched with the abrupt change of her voice, but sighed afterwards.

It frustrated Sarah when her anger turned into tears.

"The reasons that he wrote on the note. Whatever kind of bullshit he wrote to make it sound like he was sorry and had a good reason to just abandon me, I didn't want to hear it." She said with a broken voice. "Nothing could give a good reason as to why he left me. Fucking James…"

Shen hummed, taking in the words Miss fortune was saying. He slowly turned to the redhead.

"Sarah, are you upset he's gone because he was your partner?" Shen asked. Miss Fortune's head slightly turned. "Or is it because you believe he didn't truly love you?"

The woman looked up with a deep breath, staring blankly ahead, seeing the minor water ripples from the spring reflecting off the cavern's walls. She didn't answer the question however.

"Why are you experiencing these emotions right now?" Shen asked. "At first it was with your parents, now you seem to be unbalanced because of your… romantic history?"

Miss Fortune felt Shen read her like a book. Him opening up about the death of his father and his struggle against it made her feel not so alone… but now, she realised why she was having this memory of James. Before she wasn't sure, but now, it was certain.

Miss Fortune had fallen for Shen.

And she wanted him.

Her delicate fingers made their way to his hand, grasping it as tight as she could. Miss Fortune slowly turned her head, looking down at her hand gripping Shen's before meeting his gaze.

"It's because you've shown me that it's okay to expose your emotions. That having a shoulder to cry on doesn't mean you're weak, but it means that you're not alone. You found parts in me that I didn't even know existed. And now… all I want is you."

The woman threw herself at him, crashing her lips into his with her other hand moving behind his head, gently caressing it and pushing him closer.

The ninja's eyes widened, but he couldn't bring himself to break free. Through the kiss, he could feel it.

Sarah's troubled thoughts leaving her mind. The dreaded feeling of her lover leaving her abruptly, all disappearing in moments.

Finally, Sarah broke the kiss, moving away slightly with a shy look at Shen. It wasn't one of her teasing smiles or playful smirks. It was a look showing that she wanted him. A look that Shen didn't imagine he'd see on a woman like her.

A look of love.

The Eye of Twilights' mind felt mixed emotions. Emotions that he himself never knew that he had. His father warned him of a wandering mind, but Miss Fortune showing him a part of her most deemed to be non-existent had all but made him forget the warnings.

"Shen… I know it seems crazy… and fast… but I want you." Sarah said.

The ninja's eyes widened. Miss Fortune gave him a sad smile.

"I um, I've always wanted someone to be mine. Somewhere to belong. Someone to trust. Someone I can understand… and relate to." She said.

Shen was unsure of what to say. He looked away briefly, considering his next words carefully. Shen could feel the connection between reality and the spirit world slowly slipping away.

"Sarah… I don't know what to say." He said impassively. "It is sudden like you said, but I also feel like… I… I…"

Miss Fortune chuckled very, very softly. Then, she suddenly slammed her lips onto his, silencing him with a kiss. Shen couldn't help but feel himself sink into the feeling of her lips against his. Miss Fortune's lips were intoxicating in their subtlety and her delicious taste was almost impossible for him to resist, probably because his powers had left him.

He felt defeat and shame when she broke it. Sarah tilted her head with a look of despair.

"Shen… it's okay to have emotions. You know that right?" She asked. "Look, maybe I was a bit too demanding on the whole thing. Just… won't you be mine Shen? At least for tonight?"

Shen bit his lower lip, putting his hand on Sarah's shoulder with her looking at him with a pleading face.

He made his choice.

"If that is what you want Sarah… then it will be done." He said. "I'm yours… for tonight."

A tear slipped down the cheek of the blushing woman, smiling at the man's words. She leaned in to give him another kiss which he returned. Shen put his hand down around her back, gently pulling Miss Fortune in closer for another embrace.

"Shen… can we… mmm… go to your dojo?" Sarah said between kisses.

The ninja only hummed in agreement. Miss Fortune was so caught up in kissing him that she didn't even notice the purple glow around them before disappearing in the blink of an eye.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NSFW this chapter

Miss Fortune's demeanour had changed significantly when Shen agreed to be hers. The ninja's words sparked that old, confident and cocky attitude of hers, but she had learned the boundaries of when she was going overboard.

When they stepped inside the dojo, Sarah didn't waste anytime. She kissed Shen again, not letting him get away from her as they made their way into the living room of the building. Once there, Sarah sat down on the couch while not letting go of Shen's hand. She leaned close to him.

"Shen, can I tell you something that's been in my mind ever since… well a few hours ago?"

"What is it Sarah?"

"I like going on hikes and picnics with someone who understands me. Someone who I know won't try to get in my pants. Someone like you Shen. It's just annoying how people think that a person from Bilgewater shouldn't be able to do such a thing because of her upbringing." Miss Fortune raised up her boot with her hands supporting her thigh. Her expression became a bit serious. "Boot, take it off."

Shen only did what she said. He slid the boot off and Sarah began to loosen up the other one.

"We were not put on this earth to follow rules, breed and die…" She said.

"Um, Sarah you-"

"Shhh, don't interrupt me handsome." Miss Fortune said silencing him with her index finger. "Sometimes we need to have some fun right? Boot."

He pulled off the other boot and Miss Fortune started to undue her blouse. However, given the situation, she found it to be more difficult.

"I just think there's… too many rules. Think about all the amazing experiences that we miss out on because we're so worried about what other people will think." She said before choosing to give up unbuttoning. Sarah practically ripped open her blouse, a button or two sent flying across the room. Her ample mounds were exposed and she crawled towards Shen. "Why can't I be a ruthless bounty hunter whose beauty and danger while also enjoying a peaceful picnic with a man who understands me?"

"Well, Sarah… I think those are… really inspiring words." Shen said trying to ignore the two pillowy mounds concealed by the red bra.

Miss Fortune cooed at him with a head tilt. She gently brushed his cheek. "Aww, you're nervous. I like that."

Shen gulped, looking away with slight embarrassment. Sarah laughed softly before capturing his lips in another kiss.

"Do you eh, want to go to the bedroom?" Shen asked through the assault of Miss Fortune's lips.

The redhead hummed in response, though it was more of a sound of disagreement than an affirmation. Sarah's hands started to do some exploring. One of them sneaked around Shen's back, going up to his hair where she started to gently brush it, but more so to give him less time for breaks. Her other hand was being a bit naughty, making it's way down to his groin after bypassing the shirt robes.

"Ooh, what is that I'm feeling?" She asked teasingly.

Shen let out a groan when Miss Fortune gripped his manhood. She seemed to be a bit surprised when finding that it was big… and erect."

"Someone's excited."

The ninja's current position and actions were slightly making him feel embarrassed. He decided to take some action of his own. Shen's hand went around to Sarah's plump backside, putting his hand on one of her cheeks. She rose a brow at this, but said nothing else. The man took a deep breath and quickly put his other hand around her ass, cupping it. Before Sarah could react, Shen stood up with Miss Fortune locked in his arms with her laughing hysterically at this.

"Quite a risky and dangerous move there Shen. I like that." She said.

"So… to the bedroom then?" He asked.

Miss Fortune was about to oblige, but she got a better idea. Earlier in the day, she asked Shen to wash her and now, the redhead wanted to return the favour, though for entirely different reasons.

"Not just yet honey." Sarah replied. "I feel really filthy after getting caught in that rain. What say we freshen up?"

Amazingly, Shen realised that his clothing and Sarah's were lightly stained with mud. He chuckled softly at this and agreed. The ninja didn't release Miss Fortune from his grip much to her delight and set her down once they reached the bathroom. The Bounty Hunter took off her open blouse, but that's all she did before practically tackling Shen who only managed to get his top off.

Miss Fortune was relentless when she wanted something.

Shen was shoved against the tiles of the shower, Miss Fortune pressing her still concealed chest against his toned pecks. The ninja felt arousal when feeling those large, soft mounds on his body. Sarah gave him a naughty smile and turned on the water without looking to find the faucet. Unsurprisingly the water was cold at first, but it started to heat up soon after. She sighed happily as the warm water soaked her and pulled the ninja close to kiss him again. Their tongues met, Miss Fortune moaning joyfully into Shen's mouth as he matched with her fervid motions.

"Clearly you've had a woman like me before Shen." Sarah giggled.

"She was a… bit of a biter." Shen replied.

"Well I'm no biter Shen." Sarah said laughing. "But if there is one thing you should know about me, it's that I take what I want." She crouched down, pulling Shen's soaked pants down with her and after he removed his feet from the legwear, Sarah chose to finally undue her bra. Shen's eyes widened when seeing her fully exposed ample breasts. He knew it was disrespectful to stare fully, but even with his training, Shen couldn't bring himself to look away. "And right now… I want to repay you… for washing my back earlier."

Shen raised a brow at this. Seemed like an odd choice, but he then came to the conclusion that this was only a preview of what Sarah had in mind.

"As you wish, Sarah." Shen said.

Miss Fortune gave him another kiss before reaching for a bar of soap. While she was doing it, Sarah couldn't take her eyes off the nude body of Shen and a tint of red appeared yet again despite the situation. Underneath that saucy and cocky attitude, Miss Fortune was nervous. She paced towards him and pressed him against the showers wall yet again.

The redhead gladly spread her soapy hands across the muscles of Shen who stayed still, letting her have control of the situation. The ninja closed his eyes as the sensation Miss Fortune was giving him took over his body. She really enjoyed washing the abs and biceps of him before crouching down and caring to his front thighs and legs. To Shen's surprise, he didn't feel Sarah wash where he imagined she'd do it the most. She stood up and asked Shen to open his eyes.

"Turn around."

Shen did was she wanted and felt Sarah roughly push him against the wall making him grunt. Sarah applied more soap and got to work on Shen's back. Miss Fortune started with his thighs, gradually inching up higher and higher while gently kneading the muscled skin. Sarah stood back up, pressing herself against Shen with him leaning over with the extra weight. She rested her chin on his shoulder and brought her left hand around to his cheek, pushing him to meet her eyes.

"It's so nice when a man chooses to be submissive." She teased.

The Eye of Twilight made an incoherent sound and Miss Fortune made her move. Her right hand was being naughty and made it's way down to Shen's erect member. She could've sworn she saw him writhe in surprise when she gripped it.

"Oh my, you're a dirty boy Shen."

"S-Sue me." He stammered.

The Bounty Hunter cooed at him and felt a little guilty for teasing him yet again, despite having a hand around his cock. Sarah leaned her head closer and Shen got the message, their tongues meeting in blissful harmony with Shen groaning as Miss Fortune started to delicately pump his member. His back arched and Sarah giggled. The muscle in her hand was soon throbbing which only made her glide up and down it's entire length faster. Miss Fortune and Shen shared a kiss with saliva dripping down before she hinted him to turn around again.

"Let me show you what these girls are capable of." She said pressing her mounds together.

Shen blinked and almost snorted at Sarah talking about her breasts as people. The Bounty Hunter wanted to give Shen immense pleasure and she started by capturing him in another kiss. She felt his hot breath exhale through his nose as their tongues swirled and wrestled. Pressing the two pillows against him, Sarah broke the kiss and cupped his face.

"Consider this to be a token of my appreciation, you sexy man." She purred.

Sarah lowered herself in front of his erect manhood. Looking at him with a mischievous smile, Sarah trapped Shen's cock between her soft breasts. Miss Fortune felt it throb, seeing Shen's posture practically lock up to maintain his composure.

Miss Fortune proceeded to make things more difficult for him, bringing her mouth to the head of his cock. She exhaled some hot breath on it before taking the tip in her mouth, all while massaging the now veiny cock with her mounds. She looked up at him maliciously, making him shudder and a minor amount of pre-cum escaped. His manhood was rock hard and she could feel the burning lust with every one of his heartbeats. Sarah opened her mouth and engulfed the tip again where she licked and suckled the tip of Shen's cock. He let out a low moan when Sarah swirled her tongue all around his sensitive tip.

"Hmm, come on Shen. I know you want to let it all out." She said as the motions didn't stop.

He couldn't disagree. Shen hesitantly looked down at the redhead who had gone back to sucking him off. Sarah gave him a wink before ceasing the actions with her mounds and instead gripped his cock with one hand.

"Prepare yourself." She giggled.

Miss Fortune abruptly took in the whole of Shen's cock until it prodded against the back of her throat, nearly causing her to gag. She pulled back out but she tried again moments after, driven by the determination to pleasure Shen as much as she could. Sarah hungrily sucked him off and the increase in the throbbing member gave her the signal that he was close. Sarah pulled out at the last second, the sudden force resulting in Shen's climax.

The ninja's body jerked and his bit his lip to avoid letting out a loud cry as a force of pleasure rippled through his body. Miss Fortune quickly brought her lips to the head, grasping the length with both hands as she took in the essence of Shen. His body jerked and the tip throbbed a few more times before he let out a sigh and fell to his knees, panting from the effort.

Miss Fortune threw herself at him, catching the man mid-fall and holding him up. Shen put his arm around Sarah, embracing her comfort and making her smile. The redhead cradled him, rocking back and forth as the sound of water hitting the floor sounded like rain amidst the moment.

"You taste delicious Shen." Sarah murmured.

"That is… good to hear I suppose." Shen replied.

Amidst the moment, Sarah found herself severely aroused and looked down at her soaked pants. Probably should've taken them off prior to getting in, but she was so excited to have Shen to herself. This gave her an idea.

"Shen?"

"Yes Sarah?"

"Since I got to taste you, would you like to… taste me?" She had butterflies in her stomach just asking that which was strange after what she just did.

"Of… course. If that is what you'd like Sarah." Shen replied.

The redhead's eyes widened with excitement and she grinned widely, breaking the hug with Shen after he regained his energy. Miss Fortune stopped crouching, standing to her full height with Shen. The woman first proceeded to finally take off her pants, the panties soon coming off after. She noticed Shen looking at her glistening breasts and this gave her another idea. Sarah cupped them together with a naughty smile.

"Lick them Shen. Kiss them. Ogle them. I want you to play with my huge, warm breasts." She begged.

The woman moved her hands around Shen's head and pushed it into her mounds. Sarah threw her head back at the feeling of Shen's tongue. He sucked hungrily on one of her nipples with his hand making circles around her other one. Shen squeezed and caressed Miss Fortune's breasts rather greedily which only made her more aroused. In a rare moment, Shen chose to take matters into his own hands  **(literally)**  and moved one hand down to Miss Fortune's fleshy backside. By this time, she'd been absentmindedly pressed against the wall with her eyes closed the whole time.

Shen grabbed a doughy cheek and her eyes opened with a gasp. Miss Fortune pushed Shen away and looked at him with shock. He looked a little guilty, feeling like he just offended her, but Sarah smiled with a sultry look and followed Shen's hand down to where it had gripped her ass. The woman leaned to his ears.

"Spank me."

Her voice made Shen shudder and he obliged. Sarah felt a slap against her bubble butt, the flesh jiggling from the point of impact with waves around the spot Shen hit.

"Again."

Another slap sounded and Miss Fortune threw her head back, eyes closed with an agape mouth as her crimson hair flowed freely at the motion. Then she quickly came back around, pressing her forehead against Shen's.

"Eat me Shen." She begged.

They shared a passionate kiss as steam surrounded them. Shen made a slow journey downwards, giving more service to Sarah's cleavage and pressing his hands against every curve she had to offer. Miss Fortune felt Shen exhale his breath just outside of her womanhood and she shuddered.

"Sh-Shen… eat me. Make me cuuuuu- oh. Ohhhhh…"

Miss Fortune inhaled sharply at the feeling of Shen's tongue on her folds. The ninja tasted the juices from the notorious pirate' hunter Sarah Fortune, and she tasted heavenly. Sarah's chest heaved and her heartbeat roared as she pressed herself against the tiled wall.

"S-Shen!" Sarah croaked as she started to slide down the walls. Shen sensed this and put an arm out to hold Miss Fortune up as he kept licking her womanhood.

"You taste delicious Sarah."

The shrieks and wails from the redhead only encouraged Shen to keep going. Miss Fortune felt like she was going to lose complete control. She wanted to just flop down on the floor and have Shen lick her forever, but knew that it wouldn't be fair for him, though he probably wouldn't care either.

The noises Sarah made were also starting to make Shen feel excited again, but he would ensure that she'd get her pleasure since she gave him some first. Shen chose to mix things up for the woman. He stopped licking, but before Sarah could say anything, he put his fingers inside her moist depths. Miss Fortune's mind was numb as she kept receiving pleasure from Shen. If just his tongue, hands, and fingers were this good, she was eager to find out what else he could do. Through the bliss, Sarah put her hands roughly on Shen's head and heatedly pushed him between her thighs.

"Shen! Don't stop! PLEASE! DON'T STOP!" She screamed.

The ninja felt concern for Miss Fortune momentarily, but then felt a pain in his back scalp. Sarah had involuntarily dug her nails into his head and he winced at this, but didn't stop. Shen's tongue came back into play. He licked and ate Miss Fortune as he suspected she was close.

Being close was an understatement.

The redhead's pleasure became intense with each passing moment from every stroke of his tongue. His tongue was doing a rhythm that she would never be able to match. Her walls throbbed and quivered as her chest started to bounce a little with the flesh jiggling.

"Twil-Twil-… TWLIGHT!" Sarah screamed.

The woman came and Shen found himself soon get drenched with warm, white fluids from her womanhood. He opened his mouth to catch what he could, but then felt her legs clamp down around him and Miss Fortune practically fell forward. Shen wasn't prepared for that and a loud thud was heard when he hit the plastic floor with a spent Sarah on top of him.

Through his exhausted state, Shen could feel the water start to get a little cold. He stretched an arm up with a groan, finding the faucet and turning off the water, bringing the steamy shower to an end. With the running water now gone, heavy panting of the two could be heard. Neither of them spoke for several moments, Miss Fortune almost looking like she was going to pass out. She curled herself on top of him, burying her face into his chest that was slowly rising.

"Sarah? Are you okay?" Shen asked. He received no answer. "Sarah?"

The redhead hummed in response, slowly raising her head up to meet his gaze. Some of her silky hair was brushed aside as she weakly smile.

"Shen…" She whispered.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes… Shen…" Miss Fortune droned. The redhead was utterly spent which made her feel ashamed. She'd been with other men and could last so much longer, but Shen had completely drained her energy. Then again, it was likely because of the hot water. Sarah wanted to see what else Shen could do.

She wanted to feel more.

"Shen? Can you do me a favor?" Sarah asked crawling up slightly so her face was aligned with Shen's. The ninja nodded at the question. "Can you pick me up and carry me like a bride to your bedroom?"

"Um, I can if y-"

"Shh. I wasn't done talking handsome." Miss Fortune whispered. "Carry me to your bedroom, place me down on the bed… and take me."

His narrowed eyes widened when hearing those words. Sarah gave him a needy look and Shen figured that he could do that.

"Okay. As you wish."

Sarah snuck in one kiss before she got off Shen. The woman backed into the wet tiled wall, Shen quickly moving to prevent her from falling. He swept Miss Fortune off her feet bridal style, carrying her out of the shower. She closed her eyes with a smile, her limp body being handled by a man who was unlike any other she'd ever been with. Sarah felt him briefly put her down and she opened her eyes to see him toweling himself. Water dripped from their wet bodies and Shen began to dry her, though he focused mainly on her hair. Miss Fortune moaned softly at the motions. Shen wrapped her in the towel and picked her up the same way as he ventured to his bedroom.

Once there, he gently laid Sarah down on the bed. As he was about to proceed further, he looked over the woman. She seemed to be tired despite what she asked him to do. Shen hummed with furrowed brows and walked over to Sarah who met his gaze. "Are you sure about this Sarah? You seem to be really tired. Perhaps we shouldn't proceed any further with this."

"N-No." Sarah mumbled, struggling to get up from the bed. Once she was on her feet, the redhead staggered towards Shen and fell into his arms. The ninja instinctively cradled Miss Fortune in his arms, gently rocking with her sighing contently. "I want to see more. Energy or not, I want to see what you have Shen, Eye of Twilight."

He figured her calling him by his identity was a desperate attempt to keep him interested. Shen chuckled and brushed Sarah's hair before opening up a nearby blind. A change of light caused Sarah's closed eyes to squint and she opened them while using her hand to block the brightness as her eyes adjusted. Miss Fortune's mouth soon gaped as she took in the sight presented to her.

The moon was shining brightly as the storm from earlier had moved on. Shen and Sarah were bathed in it's pale moonlight with the redhead separating her embracement from the ninja. She stared in awe at the large sphere, completely speechless. The woman felt a little chill come through a crack in the window, but she didn't care. Shen chose to put his arm around her, bringing her closer to help keep the woman warm.

"Why does everything look better in Ionia Shen?" Sarah asked not looking away.

He chuckled at the question. "Ionia is a land of unspoiled and natural beauty Sarah. It is the home of the Aspect of the Moon. For this reason, the sphere is allowed to glow and produce a color much like winter snow in the middle of the night."

Miss Fortune hummed with a smile. "It's beautiful."

Neither of them said anything for quite a while. Shen was rather glad that Sarah chose to just stare at the moon instead of getting right into the bed. He had a feeling she was regaining her energy and there was no problem with that. Eventually, Miss Fortune laid her head on his shoulder while running her hand along his abs. Shen raised a brow before looking down to meet the loving smile of the redhead.

"Oh Shen… I think I'm ready for bed." She said with a sing song voice.

He looked back at the bed, a smirk coming on before looking back into her eyes.

"Are you sure?"

Miss Fortune leaned up to give him a kiss as an answer. It was longer than usual and she slowly pulled away.

"Fortune favors the bold."

Shen's hand entwined with hers and he led her to the bed. However, once they were there, Sarah had a burst of energy and pushed Shen onto the bed with surprising strength. His towel came undone with this action and Miss Fortune threw hers aside with a careless fashion. The Bounty Hunter literally leaped onto the bed with the vulnerable ninja, landing with a squeak emitting. All he could see was a red aura with Sarah's beautiful face in full view. Their noses were touching and Shen realised that her damp, crimson hair had entirely covered their heads. The woman batted the strands out of the way before cupping Shen's face while her breathing became bated.

Miss Fortune was nervous.

"I want you Shen. I want to feel your huge cock inside me as I give you the best ride of your life. Are you okay with that?" She asked.

He couldn't find the proper words. Talking dirty wasn't his thing. Sarah smiled at this before leaning to his ear, her mounds in his face again.

"I want your hand prints on my large round ass. Give me marks that only a man should leave on a woman. Can you do that for me, my favourite tank?"

The last sentence made Shen utter a small laugh. "Y-Yes Sarah. I… can."

She exhaled with a satisfied sigh, placing her ruby lips on Shen's, holding it for a few moments before ceasing. "That's a good boy."

Miss Fortune pulled away from Shen, proceeding to straddle herself onto him, aligning her very moist depths with his now erect cock. Truthfully, Sarah wasn't sure if it would fit inside her given the size, but she'd had it in her mouth earlier so she felt a bit confident.

The redhead guided it to her entrance, only rubbing it against her at first to get a feeling for it. She shuddered at the feeling, but that didn't falter her. Sarah grinded lightly against the tip, going in a little deeper with each passing moment as she bit her fist, eyes closed at the sensation. Finally, Miss Fortune gave up trying to be careful and practically sunk herself down onto Shen as much as she could. The ninja groaned with the redhead gasping with an agape mouth, leaning forward where she put her hands onto his chest to keep herself from falling. Shen couldn't stop himself from further groaning at the feeling.

"Oh… YES!" She exclaimed.

She started to lift herself up and down on Shen's cock, finding a smooth rhythm as she slid in and out of Shen. Her mind was in a state of bliss and the woman's eyes rolled up at the feeling of it as she ran her hands all over her body, trying to find a way to add more pleasure.

Shen noticed this and aimed to give his help, placing one of his hands on her lovely backside. Sarah managed to make eye contact with him, smiling mischievously.

"Hit me Shen! Spank me!" She cried out.

The man raised his hand and brought it down to the redheads' ass. A loud smack occurred and Sarah threw her head back with her body arching. "Again! Harder!"

He mixed it up, simultaneously slapping both her cheeks with his hand and the unexpected action made Miss Fortune gasp and she slipped, falling forward and crashing into Shen. Sweat dripped from her, but she only smiled at him with some heavy breaths.

"You not only know how to impress a woman Shen, but you also know how to please them." She giggled before giving him another kiss.

Miss Fortune proceeded to sit back up straight, putting her hands on her thighs to give better support before resuming her riding of Shen. His teeth gritted as his climax started to surface, Sarah feeling the same as she practically bounced on top of him, her breasts following the motions as her lips quivered, eyes closed with ecstasy.

"M-Miss Fort-! Sarah!" Shen croaked. He couldn't believe he just let out a yell.

The redhead kept riding him, gasping as she pulled out of him but soon collapsing back in.

"Shen! Take over!" She cried out.

Sarah's voice in this situation made a primitive lust flow through Shen. He momentarily let himself go of his training and shot up, capturing Miss Fortune's ruby lips in a passionate and zealous kiss. She stood no chance against his dominating tongue, allowing herself to fall back with the positions changed on the opposite side of the bed.

"FUCK ME SHEN! FUCK ME!" Miss Fortune screamed, eyes closed while speaking.

The woman's walls were so wet that Shen had no problem thrusting in. The ninja thrusted in hard which only made Sarah scream more.

To make things better for her, the ninja stood up from the bed with Sarah's supple body slowly coming up to straighten out. Miss Fortune's eyes opened, looking around with a dazed expression before meeting the gaze of her lover. Without even thinking, the redhead smacked her lips into his, moaning loudly as his pumping against her didn't stop. Miss Fortune put her hands around the back of Shen's sweaty neck before arching back as far as possible as she gritted her teeth. She didn't notice her thighs were squeezing Shen to near painful levels and when she came back up, he fell down with the bed hitting the wall with a thud, Sarah back on top and in control.

She bent over, bringing her breasts to his face with Shen not needing a hint to take a nipple on his mouth, sucking on it before giving it a little bite. His hands dug themselves into the soft flesh of Miss Fortune's rear, roughly spanking them soon after. The thrill and excitement took its toll of both lovers down below, and their climaxes finally came.

"SHEN!"

"SARAH!"

Shen's eyes closed almost entirely, but he managed to keep them open to see Miss Fortune arch her back, crimson hair flowing freely as she wailed with delight. Every inch of his cock was engulfed by her walls and they were tight. Sarah wanted to milk him for every piece of essence and she got her wish, feeling her depths get filled to the brim and making her feel warm below.

Eventually, he expelled so much that it leaked out, spilling down below onto the bed with Sarah's juices getting mixed up. She caught the smell of it… and she loved it.

Lifting herself off of Shen's cock, Miss Fortune was utterly spent and fell onto him, feeling the man's chest taking breaths to steady himself out. Sarah felt his warm arms move around to her back, pulling her in tight for a warm rest. She cooed very, very, very weakly at this.

"Shen?" She muttered almost incoherently.

It took him a few seconds to spare a response.

"Yes?"

"Can I… st-… stay the night?" It sounded like a slur.

"Of… course." He replied, sounding like he was spent too.

A weak smile crept along Miss Fortune as she came down from her high. The woman had so much more to ask Shen, but she was too tired to ask. She'd figure that she'd enjoy the oncoming rest.

There was one thing Sarah was certain of, and it was that she would have no nightmares tonight. In fact, she wondered if she'd ever have nightmares again... with Shen being by her side.

It was something she'd have to think about in the morning. Her azure pupils closed into a peaceful slumber.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angst is back

The sun had finally risen in Ionia, signalling the start of another beautiful day. Inside the dojo of the Kinkou Order's Leader, two figures were laying sound asleep in the bedroom. They were entwined and fully nude as a light breeze made the curtains dance. The pair would've blended in with the white covers if it hadn't been for the bright crimson colour from the long hair of the sleeping woman. She had an arm sprawled over his exposed chest and one of her legs draped over his, practically hugging him. The crimson hair was a bit like a blanket, tangled and laid out over his face. The two were in a tight, loving embrace.

Shen was normally an early riser, but when he awoke from his sleep, he felt more comfortable than usual. For a few moments, he'd forgotten what happened the night before. He felt another person on his body, and a sweet scent of strawberries with a light red color. His eyes slowly opened and he realised the position. Normally, he'd be shocked, but he wasn't.

He felt locked in this moment, this morning bliss.

The ninja then heard Miss Fortune mutter sleepily, unable to understand what she was saying. A slight shifting was heard, and Sarah tightened her embrace on him. Shen felt more comfortable, but he couldn't stay in that position for much longer. Given how they went to sleep, he felt a bit… sticky, or unclean. Not that he didn't have a problem with the scent of Miss Fortune on him, but it felt uncomfortable.

Shen gently pried away from Miss Fortune who remained asleep, or so it seemed. Once he got off the bed, one of her azure pupils slowly opened. Shen stretched and yawned as he took in the sun rays giving warmth to his body. The redhead quietly sat up, bringing the blanket to cover her bare chest. Her curves were slightly showing, but kept the sacred part hidden. For some reason, Miss Fortune couldn't stop staring at Shen, and it wasn't because he was nude.

Shen had helped her fight her demons, and even more importantly, he showed her that he was a human like her underneath that mask. Sarah didn't have any nightmares that night. In fact, it was the best she'd ever slept in weeks. Perhaps it was because of the amazing sex with Shen or for another unknown reason, but Miss Fortune was certain of one thing; she loved to be around him.

"Good morning Shen." She said.

The ninja didn't say anything, though he did turn his head lightly left, seeing the woman who had gone from being merely an accomplice to someone he… felt comfortable to be around. All under the span of 48 hours.

"How are you feeling…, Sarah?" He asked trying to ignore the fact that she'd been screaming his name the night before.

Miss Fortune smiled sincerely at him. She ran a hand over her head as she considered her words. "I feel fine… even, no not even, I feel great!"

Shen already knew that. He could no longer sense the unbalance that lurked in the mind of Sarah. A smile came onto him as he put on some legwear, feeling a bit uncomfortable standing fully naked.

"Do you regret it?" She asked.

Shen practically whipped to look at her. His eyes showed the connection to both worlds, but his mouth was agape. Miss Fortune exhaled at this, dragging the blanket that was covering her body as she stood up slightly, pacing to Shen. "It's okay if you do, I'll understand."

The man sighed, clearing his throat to speak as Sarah gave a weak smile. "Well, Sarah… truthfully, it's difficult to say."

She blinked at him with a tilted head. Shen chuckled softly.

"I'm not sure Sarah. Right now, I can feel a much more balanced and pleasant equilibrium in you. I know that you enjoyed last night, and while it may not be normal of me to say this, it may even sound perverse, but I also did enjoy it." Shen said, almost choking on the last words. Miss Fortunes' eyes widened with her brows raising up as high as they could possibly go. Shen groaned at the reaction, feeling a bit of shame. "It's like a weight that I didn't even know existed in me is just… gone. I do not regret last night Sarah… but there's some parts of me that do show that feeling. I'm… I'm just sorry that I can't seem to figure out the right answer."

Miss Fortune gave him a sad smile and chose to put her slender arms around his upper back. Shen didn't expect her to kiss him, but he was still a little surprised that she didn't even try. She hugged him tightly, not wanting to let go for any reason. Given that she was on the bed, Sarah had rested her head over his right shoulder, eyes closed as they felt eachother's touch. Shen's strong arms held her close, their breaths a bit bated.

The Bounty Hunter felt like she should respect Shen.

Most people in this situation would likely persuade Miss Fortune for a morning grind, and the reason was because of the lusty and sinful things they did the night before, but not Shen.

And Miss Fortune didn't have the urge to persuade him.

"It's alright Shen. I understand. I um, I know I asked you to be mine, just for last night… but even now… I feel like… I want more than just that." She said. Miss Fortune's voice wasn't sad and she only smiled at the man who weakly returned the same look. "You can take all the time you need."

Shen sighed, putting his hand on Miss Fortune's cheek. Her skin felt warm and she closed her eyes at the feeling of his hand. His other hand gently cupped her chin, resulting in the azure eyes opening.

"Sarah… time has a way of… showing us what really matters." He said.

She blinked a few times before smiling sadly. The redhead leaned to Shen's cheek, giving him a small peck. The smile turned into a shy one.

"You could really use a shower." She whispered with a hint of playfulness.

The ninja chuckled, turning to look at the entrance to the bathroom. The redhead followed his gaze, looking at him with a smirk. She broke the hug, practically flopping back down onto the bed. "You can go first. I think you could use it more than me."

He didn't say anything else. Shen proceeded to walk into the bathroom, pacing to the shower where he and Sarah had "washed" up previously. He turned on the water, letting it heat up. His gaze fell to the floor, seeing Sarah's pants and bra that she took off during their time together. He turned off the water, picking up the damp pieces of clothing and pacing out of the room.

"Sarah, I think you would like to have these." His voice sounded.

Miss Fortune looked to see him holding some of her clothing. She got off the bed, but Shen quickly walked to her so she wouldn't have to walk naked to him.

"Thanks Shen." She said smiling.

The ninja nodded and Sarah sat down on the bed as he went back to the bathroom. The water started running and she set out the pants, bra, and panties. Then, her azure pupils looked up, and she grinned rather mischievously. Biting her lower lip, Miss Fortune snatched up her clothes and quickly ran to the bathroom, the door being slammed shut afterwards.

…

* * *

Shen walked outside of the dojo, dressed in his usual attire, both his spirit and steel blades holstered in their scabbards. He heard the door slide open and out stepped Miss Fortune, fully freshened up with her silky red hair flowing in the light breeze. Shen had fixed her blouse after the button came off when she ripped it open before. He'd also taken the liberty of washing them up given that she'd been wearing them for nearly two days.

"You look nice Sarah." He said calmly.

Sarah blushed at the words. "Oh, you're just saying that! You've seen me in nothing but this for the last little while! Of course… you have also seen me in literally nothing." She said with a wink.

Shen actually rolled his eyes, but under that mask he was showing an uncommon smirk. Miss Fortune sighed with a smile and walked towards him.

"I don't suppose… we could talk about… how we're feeling about last night right now?" She asked, her voice not sounding sad.

The Eye of Twilight hummed with a bit of a sigh mixed with it. He put his hand on Sarah's shoulder.

"I'm afraid that we can't exactly do that right now Sarah." Shen said. "We both have our duties as champions and other matters to attend to. I have my meetings with the Kinkou and also serving as their leader, and you… well, have your ship to manage?"

Miss Fortune chuckled at the last few words and she chose to answer that first. "More like commandeering other ships with it and so forth." Her smile faded after saying that. "But you are correct Shen. I'm not sure what kind of duties you uphold as The Eye of Twilight apart from balancing, but I do know that with your occupation, I can't expect you to put all of that on hold just for me."

Shen's brows actually furrowed underneath his mask. "Well, Sarah, it's not exactly that. You have shown that even the strongest people have their breaking points. You put yourself into a vulnerable state, and you've come out of it stronger than ever." Shen replied. "I just… feel a little confliction within myself. Even with the power of both worlds in me, I still… feel a form of emotion."

The redhead gave him a sad look. She closed the distance, pressing the left side of her head into his chest. Miss Fortune heard his heartbeat as her arms crossed around his body. The ninja was still for a few moments before his arms moved around to Sarah's back. He rested his head on hers as he brushed some of her hair. Sarah took in a bit of hurt at the thought of Shen possibly not having the chance, or even allowed without breaking some code, to share the feelings that she was having for him. However, she also took in the solace of him maybe discovering new feelings that he never imagined he had.

And maybe those feelings would lead him to finally showing how he felt for Miss Fortune. But that would have to wait, and Sarah accepted that.

Or so she thought.

They parted, but their hands were together at their waists. Sarah smiled sadly and Shen straightened his posture.

"Well… I guess this is goodbye…" Sarah droned.

"Only for now." Shen added.

Miss Fortune took out the device, looking at it before meeting Shen's gaze.

"Shen?"

"Yes?"

"If this doesn't work out between us…" She said with a crack on the last word. "…can we still… remain friends?"

The ninja compressed his unseen lips and slowly took off the mouth plate. He walked to Sarah, tilting her head up gently.

"Regardless of what happens, Sarah… we can, and will, always be companions. As long as you want that." He said.

"Thank you… Shen." Sarah cooed.

Shen put the mouth plate back on, straightening his posture as he gave the redhead some space. Miss Fortune didn't stop staring at him as she clicked the device. A few moments later, she was gone, leaving Shen alone at his dojo. The ninja closed his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose, a sigh escaping his mouth in frustration.

How could he be feeling emotions that compromised his duty? Shen felt a knot form in his stomach, feeling like he just threw everything his father taught him out the door. As The Eye of Twilight, Shen had to remain free of emotions. But these were emotions that he never experienced before.

Feelings of love.

Shen felt defeated, unsure of who to talk to about this. Who would possibly inform him of these feelings and how to handle them?

A familiar face came to his mind. One that most people would drool over and just want to have all to themselves. Shen and her knew each other, not being complete strangers. He was practically immune to her charms and didn't see her as just a piece of meat. The girl amazingly wasn't quite the same when she was with Shen on rare occasions. Normally she was upbeat and sultry, but around Shen, she simply felt the need to respect him.

Shen could only hope that with the current situation, that wouldn't change.

…

* * *

Miss Fortune reappeared in her bedroom, still a little disorientated by the travel. She let out a sigh at the presence of Shen no longer being around her, but she understood perfectly as to why she couldn't stay with him all day. The redhead set aside the device on her desk, sitting down on her satin bed as she took a few breaths. Miss Fortune grimaced soon after, putting her head into her hands as she leaned down.

The redhead was alone with her thoughts… again. She knew that she should stop thinking about the negatives, and the positives.

But she couldn't.

Beware of wandering into your troubled thoughts alone, it's a dangerous neighbourhood.

Soon, her mind was engulfed with sadness again.

She missed Shen's presence. She missed being around him. It wasn't fair that she had developed feelings for a man who couldn't have the same freedom as her. Wiping away a tear, Sarah paced to her bathroom, proceeding to strip off her clothing. While she had showered earlier, she felt the need to wash herself. Miss Fortune sighed contently as the hot water washed all over her body and she started to scrub herself. Sarah was doing this in an effort to ease her troubled mind.

Nothing helped.

Miss Fortune just felt worse when she dried herself, unable to get the urge of having Shen by her side out of her body. The Bounty Hunter got dressed in her usual attire on the rift, minus the large pirate hat. She ran her hand down her face in frustration. She looked to the drawer beside her bed, compressing her lip as she slowly reached for the knob. Miss Fortune pulled the drawer open, revealing a letter inside.

The same letter James left for her the night he was presumably killed.

Sarah hesitantly reached for the letter, blinking every few seconds as her heart started to beat a little faster. It felt like it was burning as she got closer.

Then she abruptly snagged the envelope and slammed the drawer shut. The woman stood up from the bed, pacing to the shelf designed specifically to hold alcoholic beverages. She popped the cork off a bottle of rum, pouring it into a glass and setting aside the bottle. Sarah gulped it down, using one hand to refill the glass without even checking as she stared at the note.

Taking a deep breath, Miss Fortune opened the letter, setting it aside and then unfolding the piece of paper. She blinked a few times with a few more breaths. She closed her eyes and bit her lip before reading the first few words.

" **Dear Sarah, I'm very, very sorry that things had to end this way."**

Sarah could already feel her skin burning. The rage she was trying to suppress was visibly showing as her drink started to shake in her hand.

" **Things are complicated, and it may hurt for you to hear this, but I'm only doing it for your sake."**

Just seeing those words made Sarah stop reading. She balled up the paper and threw it angrily at the wall. She downed the rest of her drink, feeling the intoxication of the alcohol start to take it's effect… and it only made her more angry.

"For my sake James?" She repeated furiously. "FOR MY SAKE?!"

Miss Fortune was aware of her hand clenching the glass and it got tighter and tighter until with a sudden burst, the glass exploded in her hands. The sharp, shattered fragments flew everywhere and her hand had some caught in it, but Sarah didn't feel a single thing.

" **FUCKING BULLSHIT!** " She shouted.

With a yell of rage, Sarah swept her arm across the shelf, knocking off every bottle with loud shatters sounding. She kicked the shelf afterwards and ran her hands through her crimson hair as she kept unleashing her anger.

The redhead demolished a portion of her room before she finally calmed herself down, sitting down on her bed with a few splinters of wood on the comforter. Some pillows were torn and her drapes were also in the same state. A mirror was cracked and Sarah's hair was disheveled.

Then… she flopped down fully on the bed. She felt broken, shattered. Miss Fortune stayed in that position for the majority of the day, not moving at all. Nightfall came, but she couldn't tell the difference, nor did she even care.

Miss Fortune looked to the left, seeing the crumpled paper that caused her whole meltdown. With her now slightly calmed down, the woman grimaced as she reached for the paper. She unrumpled it, sitting up as she tried to make out the words. Sarah started again from the beginning.

_" **Dear Sarah, I'm very, very sorry that things had to end this way. Things are complicated, and it may hurt for you to hear this, but I'm only doing it for your sake. A few years ago, I was betrayed during a battle and was left for dead. Unfortunately, I was rescued by a demon who fed on pain. She originally intended to kill me… but I made her a promise of the best torment she could ever have. We made a pact, and eventually, we hunted down the person who betrayed me. The demoness was overcome with joy at the amount of pain and torment we both inflicted. However, me and her ultimately fell for one another, and it soon became more than just a pact. Despite the feelings she had for me, she could never, ever forget her true nature of feeding on pain. Seeing as Noxus declared me to be dead" and if I returned there, I'd likely be hung for treason, I chose to abandon my position and join her in her hunt for fresh torment. Then, when you contacted me, I wasn't sure what to do. My partner forced me to talk about you and she got the idea to have me lure you in with my trust and friendship, even possibly becoming lovers. Then… when you had everything, when you were on top of the world, she'd take it all away."**_

Miss Fortune felt fresh tears well up at this

" _ **But I couldn't do that. I couldn't allow a dear friend of mine to suffer such inhumane torture. So I struck a deal with her. I'd give her the pain and torment I'd suffer from leaving you. She didn't like it, but I refused to allow her to get anywhere close to you. I'm very sorry that things had to end this way Sarah. I wish I could be there with you in your proudest moment. The day you achieved victory over Gangplank and avenged your parents. But things don't always go the way we imagined. Perhaps one day our paths will cross again, but at this moment, it seems like this is goodbye. I will not allow you to suffer another downfall. You deserve to show your strength and power as a person. I wish you all the best my friend... and lover."**_

**-Sincerely, James Holland.**

Miss Fortune slowly put the letter down after reading everything. This was a lot for her to take in, and her eyes showed it. She laid back down on the bed, burying her face into a pillow as she started to cry.

…

* * *

Shen appeared before a structure in another part of Ionia, his hands unclasping together as he swallowed quietly. Pacing up the stairs, he came to the entrance of the building. It was sunset in Ionia and he'd had a long day with his duties and training.

The reason he felt exhausted was because of a reason he should've been able to easily shrug off. But he couldn't.

The ninja raised his hand and knocked a few times on the door. Silence immediately fell upon him after doing that, waiting for the response from the figure inside. He'd been so focused on the silence that the sound of the door opening made him flinch a little.

The door opened slowly, a pair of yellow eyes fixed themselves upon the ninja. When it was fully open, the figure was revealed.

"Shen?"

"Hello, Nine Tailed Fox." Shen said.

Ahri let out a little sigh with a weak smile. She was in her usual outfit, her white tails moving around slowly behind. "Can you please just call me Ahri, you silly man?"

Shen would've normally chuckled, but he didn't. Ahri could sense something was off.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"I'm… having a little bit of trouble with… emotions. Some that I should have never, ever felt before." He said grimly.

Normally Ahri was upbeat and a bit playful, but Shen was different to her. She stepped aside, beckoning him to come in.

Shen walked inside, Ahri not breaking her gaze from him before closing the door.

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Elements of Ahris short story "Garden Of Forgetting" borrowed in this chapter

"I must say that it's quite unusual that you're here Shen." Ahri said pacing to him in the living room of the structure. "But as a friend of yours, I'm uh, always happy to give help wherever it's needed, especially with you." She smiled.

Ahri felt a little strange being around Shen given his emotionless state. She was used to men staring and drooling over her so this wasn't a very common thing. Regardless, she respected him greatly and often enjoyed his company all the while.

"I am appreciative of your support Ahri." Shen replied. "It is not often that I have such feelings at this."

The girl smiled and sat down on a couch, patting the cushion next to her for Shen to sit on. He put aside his blades, taking a seat next to Ahri who didn't stop smiling.

"So, what is it that you're having trouble with, my favorite ninja?" Ahri asked playfully.

Shen actually rolled his eyes. Ahri cleared her throat and apologized. She felt like she needed to show him respect. The ninja stared ahead, trying to break down his thoughts.

"I'm having feelings… for someone that I just met not even a week ago." He said with the monotone voice.

Ahri managed to pick up the slight distress in the voice even if it was unintended. Her ears flopped down and she frowned. "What exactly are these feelings Shen?"

The Eye of Twilight sighed, slumping his head down in shame. Ahri could see that this was causing him trouble and she wanted to ease it off. She lightly poked him and he faced her.

"Shen, given my nature, I can feel someone else's feelings if I touch them." She said bringing up her hand afterward. "May I?"

Shen silently nodded and Ahri rested her hand on his. Her eyes closed and she hummed. Her ears twitched a little and she lightly grinned. Ahri's eyes soon opened up, glowing a little bit and she stared at Shen.

"You feel… love." She said with a rather cheerful tone. Shen bit his lower lip. "Romantic… sexual love… for a woman with red hair…"

Hearing that made Shen move his hand away from Ahri's. Her powers slowly faded away and she blinked a few times when coming back to the present. She looked over to Shen who sighed in a frustrated way. Ahri frowned and put her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry about that Shen." She said. "Sometimes… when a person is in love, it makes me happy to feel those feelings."

The ninja pinched the bridge of his nose. Ahri removed her hand and only looked at him with her head tilted.

"Why am I feeling this way about her?" Shen asked. "I'm The Eye of Twilight. I'm not allowed to feel these emotions… nothing at all."

Ahri chose to get closer to him, wrapping herself around him for a hug. Shen hesitantly put his hand on her arm and she cooed but didn't smile.

"Once someone has feelings for another person who shares those same ones, can they ever stop having those feelings?" Shen asked.

Ahri tightened her embrace on him, sadness now showing in her eyes.

"No… they don't."

…

* * *

Sarah was one of the most beautiful women in the league.

And now, she looked like absolute hell.

Her red hair was disheveled, a complete mess. Miss Fortune blew aside a strand of her seemingly lifeless hair. Her azure eyes had slightly sunken with black circles forming under. She looked more like an undead corpse than a beautiful woman. As she took in the image before her, Sarah slowly slid the clothing off her, letting it daintily fall to the floor. The woman traced the wound on her right shoulder.

The wound created moments after both her parents were shot dead.

The wound she pried a bullet from when she was just a little girl.

The wound Gangplank gave her before he took everything.

The wound that would remind her that time heals all wounds, but scars are a constant reminder… and will remain forever.

Sarah realized her lips were quivering but didn't feel the first tear slide down her cheek. She fell to her knees, still having the eyesight of the mirror. She looked pathetic.

Not wanting to see anymore, Miss Fortune curled up on the floor, arms wrapped around her knees and hugging them as tight as she could. She did what she could to keep her sobs quiet.

…

* * *

Shen put his hand on his forehead as he sighed with frustration. Ahri's ears flopped down as she frowned at the man. She didn't know a whole lot about his purpose and duty as The Eye of Twilight but knew that he wasn't allowed to have emotions. The reason why Shen allowed Sarah to burn into his mind so quickly only caused more confusion and trouble. Perhaps it was how she kind of reminded him of himself, though that was a bit of a stretch. Both lose their parents to monsters, although Shen could lightly understand Zed's reasoning, it was still a seemingly unforgivable act. Both were general loners, Sarah ultimately choosing to interact very easily, but she didn't let anybody get too close to her. Not after what happened with James as Shen thought.

But now, Shen and Sarah had another thing in common. Shen could see and feel it within her as she left earlier. The reclusive loneliness returning and the comfort of her being with him fading away.

Sarah wanted Shen.

And he wanted her.

But The Eye of Twilight wasn't allowed to feel such things. It was annoying how he'd fallen for her so easily.

"Shen?" Ahri asked finally speaking up.

He hummed as a response.

The fox girl embraced the ninja from behind, crossing her arms over his waist and resting her head along his right shoulder. She closed her eyes as she gently rocked him side to side with Shen putting his hand over hers.

"It's okay to have emotions." She whispered. "Following them and facing them would be a lot simpler than suppressing I find."

Shen gritted his teeth, looking slightly to the left. "I'm The Eye of Twilight. It's not that simple Ahri."

"I know." She cooed. "But sometimes, it's okay to briefly let go of them right? Even for a few minutes?"

The ninja sighed. "I've failed my father. I've allowed myself to fall into the trap of love. This is forbidden."

Ahri's eyes actually raised a little higher when hearing Shen mention his father. She gently put her fingertips on his chin, turning him to face her.

"Shen… you haven't failed your father. You know that." She said in a stern voice. "You are strong, and you are certainly worthy of being The Eye of Twilight. What I find that matters, is what's between the balance itself, and what you feel in your heart. Either one is not greater or better than the other, but to me, if they are balanced, then you are truly The Eye of Twilight. That's what I think anyway." Ahri said, hoping she didn't disrespect him in any way.

Shen slowly turned to her, a raised brow this time. His shoulders slumped, the ninjas' mind processing Ahri's words.

They actually made some sense.

…

* * *

Miss Fortune couldn't recall how long she'd been crying on her bed. She didn't remember how she demolished her room. She just felt shattered, and completely broken. All the woman could think about was James's latter. How she'd been mad at him for something that he clearly didn't want. How she'd been mad at him for something that was out of his control. That he still probably regrets to this very day.

Sarah thought about drowning herself in alcohol until the memories of James just vanished.

But she couldn't.

When the redheads' tears finally subsided, she sat up, looking around, eyes puffy and red. Her hair was more disheveled than ever. The words of James's letter still didn't go away.

How could she possibly forget about him? There must've been something she could do that didn't involve killing her liver.

"Shen…"

Sarah rummaged through the debris of her room, pushing aside wood and feathers in a desperate attempt to find the device. Finally… she got it.

Miss Fortune was hesitant to press it. She'd come off as clingy to Shen and would likely annoy him more than she did when she was drunk. Sarah looked back at the note James left her and felt the pain of a knife stabbing right through her torso. A single tear slipped down as she curled into a fetal position, gritting her teeth and pressing it, disappearing out of her destroyed room.

…

* * *

A few moments later, Sarah reappeared at Shen's dojo, landing with a grunt and soon getting up. Her loose blouse was crumpled and her torn pants were in no better condition, but she didn't care.

"Shen! SHEN!" She cried out.

The Bounty Hunter clumsily pushed open the doors, actually stumbling and falling to the floor for a brief moment before resuming her running. Sarah searched literally every part of the dojo, her emotional state becoming worse as she whimpered, not seeing any sign of the ninja she'd fallen for. Finally, she gave up and sat down in the middle of the building on the mats, completely frustrated as she croaked instead of crying.

Sarah felt completely alone. While she knew it wasn't true, the woman felt like Shen was intentionally avoiding her. Why wasn't he here? Was he avoiding her because he loved her, but wasn't allowed given his duty?

Just when the Bounty Hunter felt like her head was about to explode, she felt a gentle touch.

The sound from the woman abruptly stopped, feeling like she'd just frozen. Sarah's blue eyes slowly darted to the lower left, seeing a glimpse of something on her cheek. Sarah put a shaky finger on it, gently prying it off.

"What the…?"

It was a Snow Lily, and it was gorgeous. For strange reasons, Sarah's demeanor had changed. She was no longer sad, and a very small smile crept on her features. The woman brought it to her nose, inhaling the smell.

It almost made her dizzy.

The smell of a summer breeze, the scent of fresh cut grass, and a fresh orange. Her eyes rolled back as a blissful smile formed.

She dropped the device on the floor.

Then, the flower suddenly dissipated, becoming countless tiny pieces before vanishing altogether. Sarah blinked with furrowed brows after. She frowned, but then her nose twitched. The same familiar scent could be caught elsewhere. Curiosity overwhelming her, Sarah stood up, a neutral expression as she walked out of the dojo. The redhead took another inhale, smiling at the scent filling her nostrils once more.

Without realizing, Sarah soon found herself drawn to it like she'd been put under a spell, wandering away from the dojo into the night.

…

* * *

Shen had processed the words the fox girl told him, and they were pretty true.

When Zed learned that Khada Jhin had escaped from prison, despite the animosity the two held for one another, they actually cooperated and merely worked together to stop Jhin. If Shen allowed his emotions to take over during that time, he'd have killed Zed out of anger and Jhin would still be roaming freely.

Shen knew what it meant to take care of the balance and preserve what it's for, but he had yet to know to what extent it should be applied. If he wasn't worthy of his task, he wouldn't be able to use this power from the beginning.

And he still held that power.

Shen's father must have loved someone at some point in his life, or else Shen wouldn't have existed. From what Shen could recall, his mother had been killed when he was just an infant. Perhaps that was why his father was so strict with him compared to Zed. The ninja's mind started to become a bit clearer.

Maybe Shen could love somebody who loves him back, just as long as it didn't interfere with his duty as The Eye of Twilight.

And right now, not being with Sarah was preventing him from doing it efficiently.

"Ahri… how did you come up with such an explanation?"

The fox girl giggled with a playful smile. "I've gained some knowledge from the life essence I take. It might sound a bit cruel, but that's how it happened."

Ahri's brows rose when seeing Shen actually give a little smile to her. Her cheeks became a minor tint of red.

"You have my gratitude Ahri. I am thankful for you taking the time to help me… in my rare time of trouble." Shen said slowly.

The fox girl said nothing, just smiling sincerely with furrowed brows. Before Shen could react, he felt her plant a little peck on his exposed cheek. The ninja actually looked at her with what one would interpret as surprised. Ahri giggled and stood up.

"I'm thankful you don't see me for what most people do see me as. It's the least I can do for a man who treats me no differently from others." She said.

The Eye of Twilight stood up, being a little taller than his female friend. Shen soon sighed. "Well, what would one do now Ahri?"

Her eyes lit up, taking a long step towards Shen and trapping his hands with hers. Ahri's pupils were glowing yellow as she leaned up to his ear.

"Find her Shen. Find her… and tell her the truth. Tell her how you feel." She whispered. "I am not sure what else that will do… but the first step to fixing a problem is to be truthful." Ahri continued before backing away. "Go, now!"

Shen clasped his hands together, disappearing in a purple glow of crackling magic.

…

* * *

"Whoa… what is… this…?"

The voice was from Miss Fortune, standing in front of the entrance to a… garden. The entrance had a stone that transitioned to soil and narrow labyrinthine caves opened to the sky in a deep caldera.

It was a beautiful place, like all of Ionia, but unknown to Miss Fortune, it was also as deadly.

Miss Fortune absentmindedly stepped forward, entering the garden. Immediately, she felt a slight prickle at the back of her neck. The moonlight shined through the canopy trees, the pale rays adding a more alluring look to the area. Miss Fortune's breathing became bated as she stepped again.

A snow lily suddenly reached out to the redhead, that same scent from the dojo filling her nose again. Miss Fortune didn't hesitate to inhale the flowers perfume, almost becoming completely dizzy.

_Snip_

The sound broke Sarah out of her blissful high, a minor yelp escaping as the woman looked to see another woman standing before her, a pair of shears in her hand. Her hair was a mixture of grey and white. Sarah calmed herself down and soon got a clearer look at the stranger. She was certainly an old woman given that her face was wrinkled like a tree bark.

"Who… who are you?" Sarah stammered.

The woman sounded a presumed chuckle and straightened up her posture. "The better question is, why are you here child?"

"Well, I um…"

"Oh do forgive me, dear." The woman said with a hand gesture. "I should have answered your question first. My name is Ighilya. I am the caretaker and gardener of this place."

Miss Fortune looked around, taking note of the beauty again, feeling herself slowly slip into a loving high before regaining control. Ighliya tilted her head in question.

"What is this place?"

"Oh, are you unfamiliar with this place child?"

"I'm not from Ionia."

Ighliya's mouth gaped slightly, but she chose to keep her kind attitude. "Well… regardless of where you are from, this Garden welcomes those who seek what they want from the flowers."

Miss Fortune had a confused look. Ighliya cleared her throat. "This is The Garden of Forgetting."

The redhead's eyes widened at this and looked at the Gardener.

"The flowers want something from us," Ighliya said. "Just as we seek something from them. It would be wise to keep your nose to yourself, my dear."

"What does The Garden do?"

"As its name implies, many venture here with the intention of ridding their minds of painful memories," Ighliya explained. "It always hungers for such things, and if you do not give it what it desires, then it will take you instead."

The redhead suddenly felt a wave of unease wash over her. Sarah noticed that the flowers in the garden were all facing her now. A shiver went down her spine.

"You seek absolution yes? Freedom from your pain?" Ighliya asked. Sarah slowly nodded. The gardener beckoned to her. "Come."

As the two of them walked, the present flowers followed their movement. Sarah felt like a thousand predatory eyes were watching her, and in a way, that was true.

The woman gestured to a bench for Miss Fortune to sit on. Sitting opposite of her, Ighliya cleared her throat.

"Now tell me, child, what is it that's causing your pain? What kind of memory is it? A horrific tragedy? Loss of a loved one?"

Sarah swallowed before speaking. "It's all of them actually." She tried to hide the bitterness in her voice.

"Oh?"

Miss Fortune sniffled before letting out a forced and hoarse sounding laugh. "He uh, he helped me. He helped me achieve power, helped me avenge the death of my parents, and bring down the bastard who took everything from me." She said, her voice breaking while doing so. "But most importantly… he loved me. And I loved him."

This time no response was offered. Miss Fortune got the hint.

"Then, on that same night when I was on top of the world, I lost him. So I thought." She continued on. Tears welled up in her azure pupils. "He had to leave, for my own safety. He made some kind of deal with this demoness who fed on pain years prior, and she would take everything from those who had it all. I was her next target. But he… he wouldn't allow it." Sarah buried her face in her hands, letting out little croaks. "So he left me that night, leaving me in agony, but he also left a note that would explain everything. I never read it until a few hours ago."

The gardener remained silent. Miss Fortune kept her cries quiet and eventually came back up, wiping away the tears in her eyes.

"So you have been mad at a man over something he had no control over, and can't go on living with the fact that you remained that way until realizing that it wasn't his fault? That it wasn't in his interest at all?"

Miss Fortune silently nodded before quietly whispering "Yes..."

"I see…" The gardener murmured.

"Why did the flower come to me?"

"Because it could feel your troubled thoughts, my dear. Sometimes they can extend beyond this garden, seeking out those who are most troubled. It makes them hunger greatly."

Miss Fortune soon weighed in on her options. She felt completely broken and shattered knowing that she'd been angry at James for so long. If she could find him again, she'd be the happiest woman in all of Runeterra, but that was assuming he was even still alive.

"I can't go on. Not knowing that I've hated him for something he didn't want either. We were lovers… and now, thinking of him just brings me pain instead of anger."

"Are you certain of this? You may be more broken afterward." The woman said.

"I'm already broken." Miss Fortune replied forlornly. "If I continue to remember this, it'll just get worse. How can I forget him?"

Sighing with acceptance, the gardener gently plucked a snow lily from the garden, offering it to Miss Fortune who only stared at it.

"Give your breath to this flower as you think on the memories you wish to be rid of," The gardener said. "The flower will consume them. Do not inhale again until you feel nothing."

Miss Fortune hesitantly reached for the flower, taking it gently by the stem and looking again at the woman who only nodded. Taking a deep breath, the redhead inhaled the flower.

…

* * *

_A delightful and blissful giggle came from Miss Fortune's bedroom. It was daylight outside with the sun's rays shining through. Black armor was littered across the floor, mixed with a tube top, skin-tight pants, and a red button-down shirt. The white sheets of the bed were constantly shuffling as the two figures seemed to be engaged in a game of domination with the woman ultimately losing._

" _Are you always this feisty?" James chuckled as he fervidly kissed Miss Fortune's neck._

" _Depends how much of… an EFFORT, you're willing to put in. Ah!" Miss Fortune said as she momentarily gained control before James rolled with her on the bottom again, laughing all the while._

Miss Fortune remembered this. James could always make her feel the same way as the time they first made love. It caused her agony and anger to remember this, but now, she felt nothing.

" _I remember walking along this dock as a child." Sarah mused, holding James's hand all the while. "My parents would swing me between their arms as I laughed with joy."_

_Miss Fortune felt James's hand tighten slightly on hers. She didn't look at him, but she also smiled. They reached the rails of the dock, Sarah looking out at the water._

_"Someday… I'll be, or hope, to be able to change the laws of this God-forsaken place. That people don't have to live in fear under a coward like Gangplank." Miss Fortune said bitterly with the last words._

_James instinctively acted, moving so he was right behind Miss Fortune. He embraced her from behind gently, his arms crossing around her waist as Miss Fortune stiffened up. He rested his head on her left shoulder as he looked out at the glistening sea._

" _You do know that we will succeed right? We will shatter his image of power, and expose him as the coward he is. I've done it before… Sarah." James said, tightening his embracement on her. Miss Fortune smiled as she slid comfortably into it. "And it will happen again."_

Again, Miss Fortune felt nothing.

_A happy sigh came from a woman as she got more comfortable under the bed, listening to her heart rate slow down after being sexually satiated by her partner. Miss Fortune looked ahead, a little frown coming onto her mouth._

" _James?"_

_The man muttered incoherently as he sat up a little. "Yeah?"_

" _Spoon me."_

_Miss Fortune heard him chuckle and James changed his position. The redhead felt James spoon into her, sighing contently at the warmth his body provided._

" _Thanks."_

" _You're welcome."_

_Miss Fortune felt the need to say something else. She waited a few seconds as she mouthed it._

" _Hey James?"_

" _Yeah?"_

" _I love you." She whispered._

_James exhaled at this and his grip tightened. "I love you too."_

She felt nothing. Nothing at all.

But the vision didn't end here.

_The woman's eyes closed with a pleased smile. However, after doing that, the mirror that was a few feet away from the bed showed a pair of eerily glowing red eyes. James heard a small growl and hiss. The man slightly peeked over to the opposite side, seeing those eyes in the dark corner of the room. A pair of pink glowing lashers slowly came out of the darkness. James scowled at the figure._

" _ **NO."**_   _He mouthed._

_The figure hissed at him but also obliged. The lashers lost their glow and the red eyes disappeared. James looked at the area for ten seconds before resuming his rest, sheltering a now sleeping Miss Fortune even more._

This time, the memory made Sarah feel something. Something that she shouldn't have been feeling. Why was she remembering this?

"No, I can't lose this." She said to herself.

Sarah tried to inhale, but the air felt like a noose around her neck. Like something was choking her. Sarah felt a large stem around her neck and she quickly pried it off. Then, everything went black.

…

* * *

Shen appeared back in his dojo, his hands unclasping and moving his arms to his side. The ninja sighed, pacing further into the building, taking his mask off in the process. Shen went to the kitchen, proceeding to make some tea. Setting aside his blades, the ninja reached for the kettle, pouring the fluid into the cup. The first sip of it made Shen pause to savor the taste; it was a special blend of lemon herbal tea exclusively in Ionia. He couldn't help but sigh in relief at the warm feeling of it going down, spreading its warmth through his body.

"Sarah…" He sighed.

Shen exited the kitchen, taking another sip of his tea. Shen could hear crickets chirping in the evening. The sound always made him feel peaceful. Nature had a special way of doing that.

As he continued pacing, Shen noticed an unusual amount of moonlight shining along the floor ahead. Curious, he hurriedly walked to it, tracing the light all the way to the door of the dojo.

Did he forget to close that? No. He'd never forget.

Shen's eyes fell to an object on the floor. Kneeling down to pick it up, Shen observed tensely and recognized it less than a moment.

"Sarah? Sarah, are you around?" He called out. No response.

The ninja's nose then twitched. He caught a familiar scent. One of strawberries. The scent belonged to a woman with red hair. The same woman who asked him to be hers the night before. Putting the device aside, Shen ran outside of the dojo, catching more of Sarah's scent. He followed it until he came to a trail that led into a forest.

Shen looked up, recognizing the trail. It was one that he had taken after his father's death when he was still young and inexperienced. Shen's mouth gaped as he dropped the cup of tea. It hit the ground, shattering into countless pieces.

"Oh no."

…

* * *

Miss Fortune opened her eyes, slowly coming back to reality and soon seeing the gardener standing above her.

"Do you remember him?" She asked. "Can you still see him?"

The redhead put her hand on her temple, massaging it as she winced. James's face, or on occasion, his helmet, were still there. While being a little blurry, Miss Fortune fixed it into her mind, remembering everything about him, including his appearance.

"Did you let him go?"

Miss Fortune sighed. "No. No, I didn't. I couldn't. I can't lose him. Getting rid of him wouldn't help, it'd just end up being worse."

The gardener sighed. "You cannot take back what you gave, child. The flowers do not relinquish, nor do they take kindly to being denied their hunger."

Miss Fortune picked up a little bitterness in the last words. She raised a brow at the woman before realizing that vines of flowers were starting to advance. Her expression was soon pure fear.

"Go, go. Leave this place before it takes hold, or else you will lose something more precious." The gardener said.

Miss Fortune looked around, noticing the ever-increasing number of vines. She stood up quickly and made a quick dash for it, but it wasn't enough. Knotted roots emerged from the soil and they snared Sarah's ankles. The redhead let out a yell as she fell to the ground, trying to get back up, but she felt more snares around her wrists.

"No! NO! NOT LIKE THIS!"

Miss Fortune struggled against her bounds, but it was no use. She could feel more vines wrap around her, trapping her in an embrace that became tighter and deadlier each moment.

Just when the chance of survival faded, Miss Fortune heard a familiar chant. It was a monk chant, and it was growing louder each moment.

"Huh?"

The woman noticed crackling, purple energy around her and a moment later, a figure appeared.

"Shen?"

The ninja offered no response, but he slightly peeked at her, Sarah seeing the glow of his eyes. In a heartbeat, Shen unsheathed his normal blade. A wisp sounded in the air, and Sarah felt the bounds on her body loosen. Shen had cut her free.

The moment of relief was short lived as Miss Fortune could see more vines surrounding them. Shen exclaimed with a wave of his hand, and when the vines moved to strike, they were blocked by the barrier his spirit blade had created, blocking each attack. Shen readied his blade and in a swift motion, sliced down the vines surrounding him and Miss Fortune in a circle.

Miss Fortune was hefted roughly to her feet and Shen embraced her tightly.

"Sarah, do not let go."

She didn't hesitate, gripping him as tight as she could. Shen started to channel, focusing his energy with a chant. More vines advanced towards the two figures, Shen taking notice of this. He ensured that Miss Fortune would remain unharmed and felt the sharp points of the vines on his back, easily bypassing his uniform and into the flesh.

Then, they disappeared in a vortex of purple, crackling energy, leaving The Garden of Forgetting with several dead plants.

…

* * *

Shen reappeared in his dojo, holding a shaking Miss Fortune who refused to let go of him. She took several deep breaths when realizing that they were no longer in that terrifying place. They were back in Shen's comfortable dojo. Miss Fortune's mouth twitched with a smile. A grumbled sounded above, reminding her who she was with, and still tightly gripping.

"Shen?"

"Sarah." He replied. "What happened? What were you doing in The Garden of Forgetting?"

"You're not… you're not mad at me?" She asked.

The ninja sighed at the question. Miss Fortune realized that it probably wasn't important to wonder why he wasn't angry at her.

"Shen… I read it." Miss Fortune said grimly. "I read the note that James left me."

His shoulders slumped slightly. "Why?"

The redhead tried to come up with an answer, but the thing is, she didn't know why she even chose to read it in the first place. She felt broken when leaving Shen, and the woman had a feeling that reading James's note would only make it worse. Yet she still did it.

"I don't know why." She said, voice breaking in the process. "It's like I was already in so much sorrow I just had to add more. I'm such an idiot!"

Shen grimaced at this. He comforted Sarah with a hug, the redhead burying her face into his chest. He rocked her gently, providing as much comfort as possible to the woman.

"Why did the note lead you to the Garden?"

"I didn't want to go to the Garden!" She said a little defensively. "I used the device to come here to find you! You weren't here." Miss Fortune's voice became quiet. "I don't know, one of the flowers left the Garden or something and its irresistible scent drew me there."

The ninja remembered that Sarah wasn't familiar with a lot of Ionian cultures. He should've known.

"The Gardener welcomed me. I find it to be a little strange how she knew I was an outsider, yet didn't have a problem letting me in." Miss Fortune said. "I told her everything, and she offered me a flower."

Shen took a long exhale. He'd gone to The Garden of Forgetting as a younger man. It was foolish of him to even consider ridding those troubled memories.

"Why didn't you go through with giving the flower your memories?"

"Because I couldn't lose him again." Miss Fortune said sounding very bitter. "It wasn't his fault for leaving me. He had to do it. I could see it in the memory…"

The redhead could remember the protective motions of James, his embraces tight and loving. It was true that he was showing his love… but also sending a message to the figure in the shadows not to even think about touching Sarah.

"It's okay to forget what hurt you in the past Sarah… but never forget what it taught you. What it made you feel." Shen said.

Miss Fortune gave a smile of sorrow at him with her brows furrowing. It soon became a neutral look. "Shen, why did you save me? How did you know where I was? Why weren't… you here?"

His inhale of breath almost sounded like a hiss to her. She raised a thing brow as she slowly crossed her arms.

"I was with Ahri." Shen began, head looking down in minor shame. "I felt conflicted feelings within me after you left Sarah. Feelings that I believed I was never allowed to have. Ahri could sense them. She said they were feelings of love. Sexual love."

Miss Fortune's mouth gaped slightly. Shen tried to ignore it.

He was The Eye of Twilight. He was believed to be incapable of being in a relationship with anyone, let alone even loving. But Shen's father must've loved someone else at some point in his life. So why couldn't Shen do the same with Sarah?

Perhaps it was because Shen's father and mother were likely invested in the Kinkou Order. Miss Fortune herself likely had no interest in it, and given that she was from Bilgewater, not to mention the exact opposite of being ninja material, one could say this was against the rules for Shen.

But Miss Fortune showed him that she wasn't sultry and slutty like most people deemed her to be. She was a strong woman, and she endured more hell than one could handle in a lifetime. Maybe it's because she showed Shen who she was underneath that sultry getup, and it reminded him of himself. That behind the mask, behind the one who balances both worlds on the edge of his blade, was a human.

A human with emotions. A human who could... love.

Miss Fortune made it clear that she felt something for him. She may not have been what one would imagine a leader of ninjas would be with, but Shen returned those feelings.

"Sarah… I feel something with you. There is no denying it. When you left, my mind became unbalanced. It was troubling." Shen said. "I realized that when I am with you… I felt complete."

Those words almost made Miss Fortune's cocky attitude return, but she didn't let it. The Eye of Twilight was confessing to her that he shared those feelings she had for him. It was like, he needed her like she needed him. She became worried when he let out a seemingly annoyed sigh.

"I just don't understand it." He muttered. "In such a short span of time, why am I having these feelings? These emotions?"

For a moment it seemed like the roles had been switched. That Shen was troubled and Miss Fortune was the only one who could help fix his unbalanced mind. She took a single step towards him, leaning up and capturing his lips in a passionate kiss. Shen couldn't help but feel himself sink into the feeling of her warm lips on his, the sweet scent wafting from her skin, intoxicating in its subtlety, and the taste of strawberries that invaded his mouth from hers. Even if it was just a lip-on-lip kiss, it was like a breath of life. Miss Fortune wrapped her arms around his back, latching her arms before breaking the kiss.

"It's because those feelings are love, Shen." She whispered. "Love varies between each person Shen. It is illogical. It doesn't make any sense. It might even be insane… but if you've never lost your mind over a person… then you've never followed your heart." Miss Fortune take with a breathy voice. "And when I was separated from you… I lost my mind completely. Perhaps the same happened with your unbalanced mind?"

The words reached Shen's mind, and he couldn't deny how much sense her words made. Miss Fortune gently removed her hands from Shen, entwining them with his.

"Sarah…" He said. The voice sounded lightly commanding, but also desperate. "You need me… and I need… you."

Miss Fortune swore her heart melted when hearing those words. Shen, The Eye of Twilight, just told her that he needs her. Every painful memory, every feeling of sorrow, left Miss Fortune's mind when he said that.

One of her hands unclasped from him, and she grabbed it, pulling it down towards her chest and pressing it firmly against her blouse. She could feel it between her large breasts, but she didn't care. She gave him a tense stare. Shen could feel her heartbeat, and it seemed to be beating quite fast. He felt her chest slowly rise and fall with each breath.

"Then I am yours Shen, and you are mine." She said breathlessly.

He only nodded, the distance between both of them closing as they shared a passionate kiss. It lasted for several moments before breaking it, both of them looking into each other's eyes. Another kiss was shared with the exchanges becoming more intense.

The dojos door was still open with the moonlight shining in. It was dark inside, but then a silhouette of two figures that were entwined in one another stepped into the light. They shared a kiss before the man chose to lift the woman up a little higher with her laughing as he started to spin her around lightly. Her hair flowed freely with the motions and eventually, the man set her back down. They just looked at one another, neither saying a word before the man chose to close the door, leaving them both in privacy.


	10. Chapter 10

Leona rested her elbows on the table, resting her chin on her hands with a little smile. Miss Fortune avoided eye contact as much as she could from The Radiant Dawn, but it was no use. She captured a piece of chicken covered in black bean sauce on her fork and engulfed it, chewing while also looking away.

"Well you seem to be certainly feeling better as of late…  _Sarah._ " Leona said with emphasis on the last word.

The redhead was still chewing so she only hummed in agreement, not making eye contact with the woman. Leona's smile started to become a grin.

"Is it those night's you've been spending with Shen?"

Miss Fortune paused upon hearing this. Her mouth was open as she was about to eat some rice she put on her fork. Leona raised a brow with a smug grin and Miss Fortune glared daggers as she put the food in her mouth, chewing very slowly now.

"What the hell are you even talking about?" Sarah finally said.

"I'm not stupid Sarah." Leona said. "It's quite obvious that you and him did something that night you left the bar."

Sarah's cheeks started to become a little flustered as her chewing picked up at a rapid pace. She swallowed with a loud gulp. "So what if we did? He merely helped me with my problems."

"That's not the only thing he helped you with." Leona said waving her hair back. "If you catch my drift."

"Alright, that's enough."

"Denying only makes it more obvious."

"If you won't watch your mouth Leona, you'll find yourself being slain permanently." Sarah said with malice.

"Good! Death threats!" Leona said with a cheerful tone. "Adds more to the obvious love between you two."

Miss Fortune was tempted to whip out  _Shock_ and  _Awe_  at that moment, just gunning down The Radiant Dawn with every last bullet.

But she knew that she didn't have the guts for it.

The redhead took a deep breath, straitening her outfit before sitting down with a long exhale to calm down.

"I find it funny how you're so curious and questionable of my personal life when you're with someone who slaughtered your elders." She said with that classic sassy attitude. "Don't you think they're rolling over in their graves every time you two do it?"

Leona's eyes twitched with minor annoyance, but she didn't take the bait. "At least me and her are from the same place. It's very strange and far fetched that you, someone from Bilgewater, is with someone from Ionia. Not to mention he's one of the most emotionless people in the Leag-, no, in all of Runeterra!"

Miss Fortune almost snarled at the woman. She glared daggers at Leona who returned the same but with a mischievous grin. "He's not an emotionless… BEING." Sarah said as she pounded her fork on the plate with enough force to make the table shake briefly. "He's more than that."

The Radiant Dawn stared down Miss Fortune's azure pupils before slowly closing them and taking a deep inhale. "Look… I didn't mean to come off as hostile. I just find it to be well… kind of ironic, and strange, that you and Shen are together."

Sarah chose to give up feigning her being with the ninja. "Why do you care so much if it's a thing? After all, whenever me and him are on the same team, we pretty much always win!"

Leona tilted her head in confusion. Sarah rolled her eyes.

"You know what I'm talking about. We have perfect synchronization, me and him when we're on the rift." Sarah said. "Like that match when me and Thresh were having a hard time against Vayne and Janna. Their jungler and mid laner came down, but Shen used his ultimate on me and we took down all four against three!"

"I'm pretty sure that's because the enemy players were lower tiered." Leona said chuckling. "It's not uncommon for those players to fall into obvious traps. You got lucky."

Miss Fortune huffed at Leona. She was fed up with Leona being all nosy and just focused on her meal.

"Does he often take the lead in bed?" Leona asked with a snicker. "I would imagine he doesn't, just probably letting you do whatever you want in bed."

Miss Fortune flipped Leona off and the Radiant Dawn rolled her eyes, but then her gaze was shifted beside Sarah. The redhead took notice of this and looked to her right, seeing that a person had sat beside her. Sarah gave them a side glance at the figure doing the same.

"Ah, there he is. The infamous Eye of Twilight, or in other words, Miss Fortune's secret lover." Leona said.

Shen only glanced at the woman, ignoring her words before he started to eat his food, which was the same dish as Sarah's.

"Now this… this is what I'm talking about." Leona said with a certain tone. She spoke loudly to get the attention of those present in the cafeteria's attention. "We have a woman from bilgewater, a pirate essentially, eating with a ninja from Ionia!"

"Do you really have to talk so loud?!" Sarah snapped, irritation evident in her voice. Leona only smirked playfully.

Shen had remained silent, but he could easily detect the tension between the two. He cleared his throat.

"Tell me, Radiant Dawn." He said impassively. Shen's tone was often hard to read, but the words he spoke made it sound a little blunt. "Why is it that you're so persistent on the relations between me and Sarah? What effect does it possibly have on you?"

Leona snorted. "Oh it doesn't have any effect on me. I only find it to be amusing that someone like Sarah would get together with someone like you. It seems so… out of place."

Shen raised a brow at this while Sarah felt furious. One could think they'd see steam emitting from her ears. "Sounds a lot like you're saying this relationship is a joke, which I can assure you, it is NOT." Sarah said with heavy emphasis on the last word.

"A saucy redhead that practically walks around in skimpy clothing is with a man who practically believes that if he sighs loud enough, everything will solve itself!" Leona exclaimed. "Sounds like a rather unbelievable relationship to me!"

Miss Fortune stood defiantly, her chair falling back with a crash as her fists clenched and her azure pupils flared with rage. She felt a hand gently grab her, turning to see Shen giving her a look to calm herself down.

"Don't let your emotions cloud your judgement Sarah." He said.

The redhead took a deep breath, collecting her thoughts and calming herself. Sarah set up her chair while Shen stared impassively at Leona again.

"Radiant Dawn, you seem to be troubled as of late." He said. The sentence caused Leona to actually fluster and she glared at him. "Shooting unfathomable looks at me will not help your defense."

Leona actually forcibly chuckled, trying to cover up the fact that she did seem to be acting quite nosy and hostile towards Sarah. Miss Fortune raised a brow at both of them, and then a sudden realization came to her.

"I'm assuming it is about you and The Scorn of the Moon?" Shen asked.

The support huffed at this, looking away as her face turned a bit red. The ninja almost made a sound of exasperation.

"If I do recall… I picked up this feeling a few weeks ago, the same night I encountered Sarah." Shen said.

Leona looked at Shen abruptly, her eyes wide with shock. Miss Fortune's mouth gaped with a smile forming.

"Do correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I briefly saw you leaving the bar in a very unbalanced state of mind. You were severely troubled, yes?" Shen asked. Leona offered no verbal response, only nodding once in shame. "I believe you had a brief exchange with The Artisan of War? In the male lavatories?"

Leona's face showed pure anger when he said that. She heard a little snicker and saw Miss Fortune trying to contain her laughter. The Radiant Dawn's face flushed with crimson as she drew her sword, raising it above her head with Sarah noticing this and yelled in surprise. Leona felt two strong hands grab her arms, preventing her from taking any action and she turned to see Shen holding her back. His face couldn't be seen, but Shen was doing his best to hold back the strong woman.

"Do not let your emotions take over Leona." He said sounding a little strained.

Breathing heavily, Leona calmed down and dropped her sword with a clang. The Radiant Dawn buried her face into her gloves as Shen sat her down with him beside her now. Miss Fortune wanted to make a blunt statement at how the tables had turned on the nosy Leona, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

Miss Fortune recognized this. Shen was helping Leona with her problems. The Radiant Dawn did seem like she'd been holding it in for such a long time. Sarah recalled when Shen helped her and she was too proud to accept it. The redhead's brows furrowed as she tilted her head.

"Am I correct on that, or am I not?" Shen asked as he brushed aside a tear that slid down Leona's cheek.

"No. You're correct Shen… you're right."

"Tell me, Leona, how does this little problem cause you to question the relationship between me and Sarah?" Shen asked.

Leona sighed heavily. She looked at Miss Fortune who seemed to be giving her a look of sadness. "Me and Diana have been together for such a long time. We still do have arguments and disagreements about the other's belief, her slaughtering my elders that she claimed were oppressing them in an unfathomable way." She said coldly. "But despite all of that, we still love each other deeply, and would never, ever, leave or lie to one another."

Shen looked up briefly before meeting Leona's gaze. She looked at him with pleading eyes. He didn't have to say anything as the situation was clear to them both.

"What do I do Shen?" Leona asked. "How do I tell her what happened?"

The ninja closed his eyes, focusing his spiritual power and connecting with the troubled woman's. Sarah watched with anticipation while Leona just let Shen do his work. He opened his eyes again.

"I'm sensing that half of it is betrayal, and the other is of shame." Shen said.

Leona wasn't sure how to respond, unsure of what he was saying.

"When I say betrayal, I do mean that you feel as if you've betrayed your feelings for the Lunari." Shen began. "However, with the shame, instead of it being the shame of keeping this from your partner, it is more the shame of how you allowed yourself to submit to The Artisan's advances."

The Radiant Dawn started to slowly pick up what he was saying.

"You were inebriated, and despite what people can do while in that state, you would never allow yourself to betray the true feelings for your partner." Shen said before looking away, another realization coming to him. "Unless, of course, The Artisan… didn't heed your protests and proceeded to further advance."

Leona sighed at this. Sarah's azure pupils became wide as she dropped her utensil with a clang. The Radiant Dawn gave a passive look at Sarah, her brows raising up slightly to see that the redhead was actually glaring now.

"You are correct on that Shen." Leona said, her head slumping down. In this position, she actually saw Shen's hands ball into fists, only for a moment though.

"Please tell me you broke his nose." Sarah said.

Leona chuckled softly, a smile coming on. She looked at Miss Fortune. "I made sure he wouldn't come near me ever again, and I'll just leave it at that."

"Anyhow," Shen said bringing Leona back to the present situation. "To me, this situation sounded like it wasn't all on you, nor was it any of your intention to engage with The Artisan in such an act."

"You don't have to repeat that." Leona said running her hand down her face. Shen picked up a little exasperation and he chuckled.

"I cannot foresee entirely what the Lunari will think of this, but as long as you are honest with her, and make it clear that your relationship means the world to you, she will understand." Shen said.

"Though I'm not sure if she'll be able to stop herself from kicking Pantheon's ass!" Sarah added with a laugh.

Leona only looked at Shen with a smile, nodding slowly to show that she did agree with his words. She looked at Sarah, frowning slightly given their exchange of words earlier.

"I'm so sorry Sarah." Leona said grimly. "I shouldn't have been so questioning of your relationship with Shen here. I can understand why you like him, and how much of a connection you two have to one another, both physically, and spiritually… if that last one's a thing."

Miss Fortune only shrugged with a smile. "Don't worry Leona, I've been in that spot before. It's not easy." She laughed.

Shen stood up, going back to his previous spot at the table to join Sarah. She looked at him with a loving smile, her delicate digits entwining with his under the table. She'd lean in to kiss him, but figured that could wait.

"I must go now." Leona said standing up, her shield and sword in her hands. "Explain to the love of my life how much she means to me, and that I would never, ever, betray her." She met the eyes of Shen. "Thank you so, so much Shen. I hope to see you and Sarah on the same team as me and Diana in the future!"

Shen nodded with a smile while Sarah waved goodbye and they watched Leona exit the cafeteria.

When she was gone, Miss Fortune turned to Shen, giving him a playful smile. "So you chose to help me over her that night at the bar?"

Shen actually rolled his eyes, prompting a laugh from Sarah. "She was in hysterics and was too quick." He answered. "Would've been a more troubling thing to handle."

"Oh really?" Sarah asked, waving her silky, crimson hair back. "I guess a troubled woman with a large chest and a bubble butt was too good to pass up instead of helping an actual relationship?"

Shen rolled his eyes, Sarah laughing wholeheartedly. Her laugh was beautiful and it always made the ninja slightly smile. She nudged him playfully.

"Come on, you know I'm just kidding."

The ninja only sighed with amusement. "Good to see you're back to being normal, Sarah."

"It's all because of you Sheny." She cooed. "My favorite, and might I say, sexiest tank."

He ignored her weak nickname for him, resuming his meal with Sarah doing the same.

…

* * *

The moon was shining with its pale light showering the institute. A man and woman were walking down the halls to her room, one in a large hat with the other having blades on his back. They'd just finished a difficult match, having gone on for over fifty minutes. They'd won given their near perfect synchronization and it helped maintain their team's morale.

"Well… that was certainly a tiring, and intense match." Sarah said reaching her quarters.

"The team remained united, thanks to your efforts Sarah." Shen said.

Miss Fortune snorted at this. "Oh, that's bullshit. If you hadn't been so good with your ults, I'd have been dead so many times Shen. I can always count on you to cover my ass." She said, waving it slightly. Shen tried to avoid looking directly at it.

She unlocked the door and entered her quarters, Shen following behind. He stopped as Sarah continued pacing in, stretching her arms with a few cracks and groans of pleasure from her. She eventually turned around, meeting his gaze. Her smile slightly went away, becoming more of a neutral look. It returned when Sarah got an idea.

"You want a drink Shen?" She asked, going to her shelf that was full of bottles.

Shen hummed, sounding unsure. "Um, s-sure." He finally said.

Miss Fortune poured them each a glass of whiskey, handing one to Shen who took it. She raised hers up and he followed the motion.

"To a well-deserved victory!" She declared.

They clinked the glasses together, gulping them down soon after. Despite all the drinking she did, Sarah still couldn't down a glass of whiskey before wincing and exhaling sharply as she felt it burn her throat slightly. She looked at Shen who didn't even flinch actually. Miss Fortune's eyes widened.

"Wow, look at that, you actually held your booze. Not to mention it was whiskey!" She laughed.

Shen did a half-assed shrug, Sarah still surprised by this. They set aside their glasses, looking at each other again. Shen was unsure of what to do and Sarah noticed this. The woman looked at her bedroom door and she gestured with a small smirk towards it.

The ninja seemed to be hesitant and Sarah's brows furrowed. Out of the blue, Leona's words from earlier seemed to echo in his mind. It was about him often letting her be in control whenever they chose to do it in the bed. Perhaps it was the location that made him be hesitant, but Leona's words clouded over that thought.

"Shen?" She asked quietly. Shen straightened his posture at the sound of this. "Do you find me attractive?"

He turned his head, not taking his eyes off Sarah whose expression became a little bit of a frown.

"What?" He asked.

"Do you think I'm beautiful? Do… you love me?" She asked, a pinch of hurt in her voice.

Shen seemed to be surprised by this. He took off the mouth plate, pacing towards Sarah and taking her hands with his. He looked into her eyes.

"Why are you asking this?"

"Because it seems like… every time we… do this… I have to be the one to engage. To start it." She said, her azure eyes glistening. "Why don't you ever want to take the lead?"

Shen sighed at this. He brushed aside a tear from her with his thumb, gently cupping her neck. Miss Fortune put her hands on his arms, smiling sadly.

"It's because I thought you preferred to always be in control Sarah." He said, getting a quiet laugh from the redhead. "But truthfully, I didn't want to take the first step because I didn't want to risk possibly hurting you, or doing anything that you wouldn't approve of."

Miss Fortune's sad attitude abruptly went away as she rolled her eyes. Shen raised a brow at this. "You silly, silly ninja." She cooed. "I've seen it all and done it all. Besides… how can I possibly hurt when I'm with you?"

He ignored her words about the various intercourses. Sarah leaned up to his ear, exhaling her breath on it.

" _Take the lead Shen…"_ She purred.  _"Show me how you do it."_

The words sent a shiver down the ninja's spine. He felt his training slightly fade away, likely due to the consumption of alcohol. If Miss Fortune wanted him to take the lead, he would.

"As you wish… Sarah."

When Miss Fortune pulled away, she felt Shen's hand move around her back, cupping her and trapping the woman in his arm, pulling her closer. Sarah didn't shy away, leaning close to Shen where their lips met in a passionate session. Immediately, the redhead felt a flame inside her, that old flame whenever and she Shen would engage in the festivity. This flame had a kick and it felt different. The changed feeling was likely Miss Fortune allowing Shen to take control over her where he could show his love for her. She allowed his tongue to invade her mouth, feeling it explore every corner of her caverns. She moaned into the motion as Shen kept kissing her with relentless passion.

Sarah was so entwined in the motion that she didn't even bother to react when Shen gently pushed her against the wall, trapping her. Shen's free hand traveled down to her fleshy backside, cupping what he could with his hand. Shen broke the kiss when noticing Miss Fortune's eyes widening, but he didn't' stop his actions.

And despite what the redheads' expression was showing, she didn't want him to stop.

The woman was too shocked to speak and Shen's other hand came down from her back, going down to her bubble butt and grabbing both of her doughy cheeks.

"W-WAIT!" Sarah exclaimed.

Her voice immediately made Shen stop. He gave her some space, concerned that he'd gone too far, but he raised a brow when seeing Sarah undue her skin tight pants. She kicked them away with a careless fashion, though her boots were still on. She looked at Shen briefly before she slowly paced to him. Immediately, the old rush flooded Shen's body and he met her in another kiss. He quickly pressed her against the wall, her hat falling off in the process as they resumed kissing. Their kisses were sloppy and intense, moans from both, but Sarah making the louder sounds. Shen's hands went back to their previous spot, cupping her ass and kneading it, admiring how it felt soft, but also a bit firm. Miss Fortune tilted her head back, eyes closed at the sensation Shen was giving to her backside, and now her neck.

"Is this to your liking Sarah?" Shen asked between the kisses he planted on her neck.

"Hmm… We're getting there." Sarah replied, her voice sounding breathless.

Shen chuckled at this, taking one of his hands off Sarah's ass, much to her dismay. In a swift motion, Shen's hand was inside of her panties. The redhead jumped at this, practically letting out a yelp but Shen didn't hesitate. Her lovers' fingers found their target. Before she could process it, Sarah felt something that sent a jolt of pleasure from her core that spread all throughout her body. Shen's fingers were rubbing her with ruthless movements, and with all four of them rubbing and caressing her folds, the woman soon felt her panties get a bit wet.

"Oh, Shen! More! MORE!"

His fingers worked her clit with effective precision. He slipped them in and out, sometimes with only one, other times with 4, but it was mostly just 2. The ninja's hand was coated with her nectar and it allowed him to slip in and out easily with the lubrication from the source. Miss Fortune's moans filled Shen's mind, telling him not to let up. She'd put her hands on his shoulders, gritting her teeth at the mind-numbing sensation.

Shen knew how to top it off. His other hand that was still massaging and kneading her ass raised up, and with a flat palm, he brought it down. The flesh jiggled, waves moving under her skin from the impact. Miss Fortune always had a thing for being spanked.

It was too much for Sarah to take, and she gave in. The woman screamed her lovers' name, and Shen instinctively acted. His hand withdrew from her entrance, his tongue coming out to lap up the essence that spilled out. Miss Fortune's hips writhed and she abruptly leaned forward, placing her hands on Shen's shoulders for support as her silky hair followed the motions, cascading over her and Shen in the process. The ninja lapped up what he could until Sarah was finally done, the woman slumping back into the wall as Shen wiped the fluids from his drenched face. He looked at Sarah who was panting heavily from the actions he did on her womanhood.

"So… how was that for taking the lead?" He asked.

The man's voice made Sarah smile as she flipped some of her crimson hair back. She looked at him with a spent, but loving expression.

"Hmm, now that's a part of you I'd love to see more often." She murmured.

Shen only chuckled. He stood up, walking to Miss Fortune who weakly looked up at him. The ninja chose to bring back memories and picked the woman up like a bride. Sarah threw her head back laughing at this, resting against his chest. She forgot that Shen was still fully clothed and he gently set her on the bed. Miss Fortune got comfortable on the mattress, her hair sprawling across the pillows in a blanket-like state. She blinked seductively at Shen who smiled at her, walking off to the bathroom where he proceeded to turn on the water, washing his hands and getting the remnants of their sex off him, only because he felt unclean. He returned to the bedroom moments after, seeing Sarah only sitting up on the bed, her legs crossed with her red hair disheveled, though she'd put on some pajama bottoms.

The ninja wasn't sure what to say, but his instincts told him to take a seat next to his partner. Miss Fortune didn't break away from him, still having on that seductive, yet loving smile.

Suddenly, Shen felt her hands clasp onto his, their eyes meeting.

"I still can't believe how this all happened." She said with a chuckle. "How you went from being someone that I barely knew to being like a teacher to me, and now, my lover."

Shen only nodded with a smile.

"Ah, Shen." Sarah cooed. "If our parents could see us now, what would they think? What would my mother and father think of me? How far I've come from being that little girl who had everything taken from her? How I've found something special in a man from a different land?" She stopped with a realization came to her. Her brows furrowed at Shen who raised one of his. "What would your father think of you? Being… with a woman like me?"

Shen picked up a small bitterness in her voice. His hands left hers and Sarah lowered them to her lap, waiting for Shen to take action. He cupped her face, looking into her eyes. Sarah waited for his action.

He didn't speak, and Sarah remained silent when he pulled away from her. She slowly raised a brow, but then felt… cold… and afraid.

Shen seemed to fade away, and Miss fortune was left alone. She heard a gunshot in the distance, familiar screams from her childhood. The cries of her parents. Miss Fortune's breathing became bated, and she started to hyperventilate.

And then, just like that, everything went away. Sarah was back in her quarters, and she felt warm.

The woman looked down to her right, seeing Shen's hand holding her tightly. All of her worries and fear went away, knowing that this man was by her side and that he was hers, gave her more relief than one could imagine. If her parents were alive, they probably wouldn't care, but if Shen's parents, in this case, his father mostly, were alive, he'd possibly take a minor liking to Sarah.

That didn't matter now. Sarah smiled lovingly at Shen, leaning to give him a kiss that was short but held something significant.

She gave him a gentle slap on his cheek, smiling teasingly at him now. "Must you scare me like that?"

"Do you feel afraid?" Shen asked.

Sarah tried to frown after he said that, but it was futile. She blushed at him, leaning closer so she was now supported by her arms and knees. Shen got the hint, and he leaned forward before Miss Fortune suddenly closed the distance quicker than he thought. Her tongue went into his mouth, exploring every part of it. Shen's mouth had become quite familiar to Sarah and she loved the access the ninja gave her.

Shen picked up the lust in the woman's kiss like she was trying to quench a thirst as something sparked inside of her. The ninja felt the same way, his tongue dancing with Sarah's as they continued to kiss. He felt her hand on his chest and Miss Fortune's barrage of kisses came to a halt. Shen saw her glaring at his clothed chest and she took a handful of it in her hands.

A ripping sound was heard as Sarah stretched apart Shen's uniform, ripping it open and making it seem like fixing it would be pointless. Despite being the Eye of Twilight, Shen didn't seem affected by Miss Fortune's actions and she wasted no time feeling his exposed muscles. His body was so toned and hard that Shen thought he saw Sarah's azure eyes flash briefly with her hunger for him. The redhead pulled Shen towards her where their lips met again, their tongues wrestling like they couldn't get enough of the other's taste. Sarah fell back onto the bed with Shen still locked with her. They rolled with her on the bottom, but she ultimately came back on top and stopped the movements.

Miss fortune straddled herself onto the ninja who saw a look of authority in her gaze. Shen figured that Sarah enjoyed being handled earlier, but she wanted to have her turn with him. When seeing that he took no action, Sarah smirked smugly.

"There's that old Shen. The submissive ninja from that night in the shower." She purred.

She leaned down to him again, her red hair cascading over them both. Sarah placed a long kiss on Shen's lips before going lower to his neck. Shen winced when he felt a pinch of pain in that area and Miss Fortune cooed when she pulled away, leaving a bite mark in that area. She looked at it sultrily before her eyes darted back to Shen's.

"Just a reminder that you're mine Shen." She giggled. "You marked my plump ass with your hands, and now, I've marked your neck with my ruby lips."

The ninja wasn't one for talking dirty, but he actually liked it when Sarah did.

"But I do suppose that it's not fair that I have red marks on my butt while you only have one on your neck." She said with a fake frown. "Perhaps I should put my lipstick on your cock."

The dirty talk took its toll on Shen, and Sarah felt a bump below. Not taking her sultry eyes off him, Sarah crawled backward until she was past Shen's waits. She sat her figure on top of his legs, the ninja feeling the soft flesh of his lover through her thin pajamas. Miss fortune casually slid down Shen's legwear with his underwear in her grip. She feasted her eyes upon his large, thick, erect member. Miss fortune tilted her head to add a sultry look, noticing some veins on Shen's rod. A wide grin came onto her features.

"Oh my, looks like the dirty talk makes you excited." Sarah teased. "Such a dirty and kinky ninja."

"It's not that, I just f-"

Shen stopped speaking, feeling one of the redhead's hands grab his cock. She gently squeezed it, eyes widening when seeing some pre-cum appear on the tip. Her brows wiggled once before descending closer to his cock, exhaling her warm breath over it. The object twitched and more of Shen's blood flowed to it.

"I think I can feel your heartbeat Shen." Sarah purred. "Ahh, so warm."

More pre-cum escaped onto the head, Miss Fortune smiling at the sight. She brought her tongue out, lapping at the tip and tasting the pre-cum. It was salty and fresh, just the way Sarah loved it. The woman started to delicately pump its thick size as she gave Shen a loving look. The ninja could only lay there and take it.

The redhead went down to the base of Shen's shaft, her tongue coming out and she licked his cock all the way from the bottom to the top where she trapped the head around her lips, kissing it and leaving a red lipstick mark with a little pop as she pulled away. Her gaze met with her lovers as she kept stroking it, and despite what was happening, Miss Fortune still blushed. With their eyes not breaking, Sarah gave his cock three firm strokes before plunging down on it abruptly, making Shen's body jerk in surprise. The lustful feeling started to flow through his body, Miss Fortune's mouth fervidly sucking him off, her head bobbing up and down as her hands matched the motions.

Sarah felt the heat from his cock inside her mouth, and it began to throb. Shen's breathing started to become sharper and his chest raised up higher than usual before collapsing. Pre-cum leaked out at a quick pace now, giving Sarah the hint that he was getting closer to his climax. This only made her improve her already effective motions, going as deep as she could before the tip prodded the back of her throat, tears streaming down her eyes at the feeling.

With a sharp breath from the ninja who grasped the bedsheets tightly, Miss Fortune got her reward. She pulled back as warm, white fluids escape the head, practically exploding into her mouth. Sarah eagerly took in as much of his essence as she could, doing her utmost to take it all in, but Shen was producing more than she could handle. With a desperate cry, Miss Fortune ripped open her top, letting it slide down as more fluids shot out, landing on her face and chest. Taking a deep breath, Sarah grabbed his cock and trapped it in her mouth again, greedily drinking it and sucking him dry.

Shen's chest slowly raised up and lowered as he calmed himself down from the climax as Sarah went to work, cleaning up every part of his climax before tending to her messy self.

When she was done with that, Sarah looked at the seemingly spent Shen, silently chuckling at him before crawling back up to him, resting her weight on him with her bra concealed chest on top of his hard chest.

"Well, that was quite a bit more than I expected." She said teasingly. "Ah, such a delicious taste you have."

"I guess you love to be in control of most festivities?" Shen asked.

The redhead hummed, looking away in brief thought before looking at her lover again. "Do you want to be in control this time Shen?" He blinked at this. Sarah flipped back her hair. "Well, I guess my little show there did remind you that you'll always be submissive to me."

Shen raised a brow at this. "I'm not that submissive."

"Oh really?" She asked with a challenging demeanor. "Prove it."

Miss Fortune yelped when feeling his strong hands on her shoulders and she was suddenly on the bottom, seeing Shen's eyes that had a rare fire of passion and lust in them. She was already loving this, her heartbeat increasing as her nether regions started to pool.

"You'll see Sarah." Shen chuckled. "You'll see."

She felt his hands on her waistline before they slid down and met with her leg-wear. Shen pulled them down, revealing her fleshy bottom that consisted of thick thighs. He ran his fingers along one of them, Sarah trembling at his touch as he gave it gentle squeezes. He then chose to feel her upper body, his hands gliding up her curvy figure, moving inwards after passing her waistline. He unhooked the bra, allowing her large breasts to finally be revealed with perky, pink buds on top. The ninja massaged her pillow-like breasts, Sarah gasping at this, her eyes closed at the sensation.

"Oh yes."

His hand went behind her back, tracing her spine and soon becoming tangled in her crimson hair, lifting Sarah up slightly where he began to kiss her breasts, his tongue coming out to lap at the pink tips with his hand moving down to her lovely ass, massaging it like before.

The woman was very, very, very wet now.

"Ah Shen." She breathed. "Kiss my neck. Bite me. Pull my hair. Trace my spine. Hold me down. Play with my huge breasts. Make me scream your name. Don't stop fucking me... until I'm shaking."

Shen's composure was fully lost and all rational thoughts left his mind when she said that.

His kissed her passionately with Sarah doing her best to match his motions. His hand was still gripping her back tightly, tangled within her crimson locks. His other hand started to glide up and down her smooth skin, feeling the thick flesh of her body and admiring how good it felt to have this woman want him.

He guided himself to her entrance, going a little higher to get a better alignment as their lips remained locked and their eyes stayed shut. Shen pressed himself into her, and their lips parted ways as Sarah's mouth gaped, her eyes narrowly opening to see that they'd connected. She threw her head back as Shen began to pump into her, his hand moving from her back and onto the sheets for better support.

Their lips finally met again as he kept thrusting in and out, Sarah moaning as she matched Shen's moving motions with their lovemaking. Her pleasure was rising with each entrance and exit he made. The ninja's thrusts were starting to grow more zealous and even a bit harsh. Miss Fortune noticed Shen giving a look that wondered if he should tone it down on the thrusts, but Sarah shook her head. Shen nodded solemnly.

Both of Shen's hands grasped the bedsheets as he started to pump into Miss Fortune like a machine. The redhead shrieked his name and dug her nails into his back, hugging him as tight as possible in a desperate attempt to hang on, her eyes closed with a pained expression. Shen's shaft struck her sweet spots, and her folds responded appropriately, hugging it as tight as possible before releasing the intruder.

The couple gasped with every thrust, both of them closer and closer to their climaxes. Sarah's nails started to dig into Shen's back so much that she left little red marks, but he didn't care, nor did he feel it. When it finally came, their mouths gaped, eyes open and their gazes met in such a focused way that nothing could break it.

Then, their gazes broke and their eyes closed, backs arching as every muscle flexed from the rush of their orgasms. Hot essence flowed through Shen and made its way to his throbbing manhood, releasing its load into Sarah's welcoming womanhood. Her walls clamped down and she silently screamed as his warmth filled her up. Miss Fortune released her own juices with Shen's cock still trapped within her. She shot wave after wave of her cum, losing how many times it happened before the feeling finally stopped, both lovers dripping with sweat as they panted, coming down from their highs. As Shen pulled out of Sarah, he felt some resistance and saw her looking at him with tired eyes, but she seemed to have a stern look.

"Get back here." She murmured.

The tired man gave almost no resistance to Sarah when she pulled him down on top of her, their lips crashing for one more passionate session. She moaned softly before letting go, Shen falling beside her, quite spent. He felt a soft feeling and realized that Sarah was now resting on top of him.

Shen smiled weakly. The feeling of Miss Fortune's erotic and alluring body resting atop him felt more comfortable than anything else in the world.

"Ahhh, Shen." She murmured.

"Are you… alright, Sarah?"

"Of course I am honey." Sarah giggled. "I never imagined that a tank like you would be so perfect for a woman like me."

Shen chuckled with agreement. The feeling of rest slowly took over his mind, but something snapped him out of that. Sarah seemed to be getting off him and he put his hand on her naked body, stopping her with the woman looking at him with wide eyes.

"Sarah… could we maybe… stay like this?" He asked. "It's quite comfortable."

Miss Fortune giggled in response, adjusting her position so she was now back on top of him. "Of course we can sweetie. Anything for my favorite tank."

She took the sheets, covering them both in warmth, but then she did something Shen didn't expect. She flipped her crimson hair back and waved it forward as she came down, resting against Shen with her hair covering both of them, acting as an extra bonus sheet to an extent. Shen smiled at her and Miss Fortune cooed, resting her head on his chest.

"Hey, Shen?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

She felt his strong hands move around to her back, Sarah smiling as he held her tight.

"I love you too Sarah."

Miss Fortune slowly closed her eyes, that smile remaining as her mind drifted off.

Despite all she encountered before, meeting Shen was one of the best things to happen to the redhead. She felt safe and secure around him. She knew that he'd always be with her. A thought came to her, a thought that she wasn't sure she'd ever feel again.

That everything was going to be alright.


End file.
